The Worst Days of Our Lives
by LuxahHeart
Summary: High school Au. Kai's the new kid in school, having moved to a new city with his foster family. Meeting new friends and new enemies, Kai's stuck between trying to fit in and finding out who he is and who he wants to be as a person. Used up most characters through each season. Yaoi.
1. New Faces

**I should be stopped... I've been sitting on this fic idea for about half a year now, not really sure what I wanted to do with it or what I could do with it but here we go. A good ol' High school AU just for you all. A lot of the teachers and things that I depict during the school days are a lot like I remember them to be when I was in high school, even using some of my old teachers names and likenesses, though I might have messed up some of them on when I actually had their classes, but oh well. It was a long four years of my life...  
Any ways, as always this is yaoi Kai and Ray. The rating will be T as I won't be putting in any explicit sexual scenes this time around, I apologize in advanced. There will be Limes to have, but nothing full blown.  
** **I really don't have a timeline for when this will end, or how often it will be updated, but for now enjoy the first chapter, let me know what you think. See ya'll next time!**

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The Worst Day of Our Lives, Chapter 1- New Faces

The alarm on his phone went off, red tired eyes cracked open slowly as the dream he had been currently immersed in disappeared. The light from the morning sun poured through his blinds and his eyes snapped shut against the light, it was too damn bright, and he groaned as he blindly reached out to find his phone that sat upon a box beside his mattress. Slim pale fingers finally caught the annoying black box that was his phone, finally silencing it as he rested his face into his pillow once more wanting just a few more minutes.

All hope washed away when his door was kicked open, it hitting the wall behind it.

"Rise and shine Skittles!" His foster brother yelled, and his body tensed up on him immediately.

Having lived with him for three years now he knew the routine, if he didn't get up now his brother would throw himself down on top of him and wrestle him out of bed. It didn't matter if he was in nothing but his boxers, or what day it was, when Tala said it was time to get up, he meant it.

"I'm up." He grumbled out to him, running a hand through his two-toned hair that had been tangled and messed up from sleep.

With his stomach pressed against his bare mattress and a sheet he happened to find and had thrown haphazardly across him before he went to bed, he began to push himself up, groaning again in the process. Tala stayed leaning in the open doorway, arms over his chest as he watched his little brother sit up and wipe the crud from his eyes.

"You excited?" He asked, his smile wide as his icy-blue eyes beamed with delight.

"I'm tired." His brother bit back, letting his arm fall beside him and the palm of his hand rest against his bed. "Why are you up so early, you don't have to go to school."

Tala's smile turned into something almost twisted, looking like a dog trying to smile. "I thought I'd give you a ride." He said excitedly.

His brother's face fell, his red eyes wide. "No, no… I'm taking the bus." He said, trying to sound authoritative.

"Aw, but mom said I could." Tala said, pretending to look hurt.

His brother ground his teeth together, he knew he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter if Tala's mother had already given the go-ahead. It wasn't like this was his first rodeo either, being bounced from one foster home to the next through most of his life he was used to this by now. Sometimes he'd be dumped on a family that didn't have any children of their own and he had to fend for himself, while other times he was dumped with other foster kids that had to fend for themselves while also fighting off each other. This time, after seven years of being thrown through the system and at the age of thirteen he was dumped with the Volkov family.

He had lived with them for four years now, turning seventeen back in September. Tala was their biological son and a year older than himself and for some reason the red head had stuck to his side like glue, and at first it bothered him. He didn't want to loosen up around another boy his age, not after having so many let downs when he was younger. He refused to be used and played, but eventually he came around. Tala wasn't like any of the other 'big brothers' he had before, he was actually and genuinely nice to him. The only real issue he had with Tala was the nickname he gave him, and he wasn't even sure why he had chosen the name 'Skittles' either, he didn't even like the candy.

"Well are you going to get out so I can get dressed then?" He asked, red eyes boring into Tala's blue ones.

Tala smacked his lips, that stupid wolfish smile still on his face. "Of course, hurry up though you don't have much time!" He called out, walking down the hall of their new home.

That was another thing, he had moved with the Volkov's because Tala's father had gotten a new job in a new city in the middle of the school year. It was October now, and he had to get up and move not just a home he had come to love for the past three years but a new high school as well; at least he hadn't had to say goodbye to many friends in the process, it wasn't like he had many to begin with.

They had moved into the new house over the weekend, his foster father having to go into the new office on Monday as his foster mother finished getting the house unpacked. He had been in charge of getting his own room done, and with the boxes still packed and his un-made bed in the middle of the room and not even done all week was a testament to his less than enthused new start in life. At least his foster parents weren't the kind to breathe down on his neck all the time, they really didn't care what he did as long as it wasn't illegal or life threatening.

Tiredly he went about, trying to find the trash bag of his clothes in the mess that was currently his room. It was Wednesday now and he mentally made a note to actually get his room finished by the end of the week, as much as he thought he could live out of trash bags and boxes he really couldn't.

He tore open one of the trash bags containing his clothes, rummaging in it and pulled out a clean pair of black jeans and a red and black long-sleeved shirt. His boots were by his bedroom door, and with hardly any time to spare he just wore the socks that were stuck inside them.

Once dressed he lazily made his way to the bathroom down the hall to try and tame the wild mop on his head that he called hair, his styling gel already set out on the counter next to Tala's own; between the two of them they went through bottles of it weekly.

He brushed his hair, cringing as he remembered the teasing he got from his last school because of the odd color it was. Not like he had much say in it though, he had been born with it, and as odd as it may have seemed to them he was actually quite fond of it. Once that was done and he had styled the slate colored portion of it, he went back down the hall towards the kitchen where he could smell his foster mother cooking breakfast.

"Morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?" She asked, a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah…" He answered back dully, taking a seat at the small round wooden table in the little nook of the kitchen as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

His foster mother smiled, turning back to her eggs that were cooking on the stove as Tala came into the kitchen dressed for the day with a pair of pink sunglasses on the top of his red head.

"Yo Skittles, you're up." He laughed, sitting down across from him at the table as he eyed him up and down. "You're really going to start your new school looking like that?" He asked.

"What's wrong with the way I look?" He bit back, his eyes narrowing.

Tala sat back, one leg crossed over the other as he hung his left arm over the back of his chair as another twisted smile wound it's way up on his face. "You look boring." He said bluntly.

"Tala, quit picking on Kai, he looks fine." His mother shot over her shoulder.

"You haven't seen what he looks like, how is he supposed to make friends when he looks so boring?" Tala shouted back playfully, his voice two octaves higher than what it normally was.

Kai huffed, shaking his head at him. Why did it matter if he made friends or not? Or what he was even wearing, at least he was dressed like a normal person unlike Tala who looked like a Care Bear had thrown up on his clothes, with all the bright colors and patterns on the shirt and the too skin tight pants he wore. Sometimes Kai wondered why Tala's parents allowed him to pick out his own clothes.

"That's enough Tal, Kai looks fine." His mother said again, scooping out the eggs onto two paper plates and placing two sausage patties beside the eggs before taking the plates over to the boys. "Now hurry up and eat, or you'll make him late." She said, her own icy-blue eyes boring into her sons.

"Fine Ma." Tala whined out, sitting back into his chair properly before he dug into his food after pouring a sickening amount of ketchup over his eggs, practically drowning them in it.

"You look fine Kai, don't let him get to you." She said sweetly, patting his back before she walked off.

"You forgot to turn off the stove." Kai called, and she paused in the doorway.

"Whoops." She laughed, going back over to it and turning it off. "Thank you hun. That would have been terrible." She laughed before heading back towards the exit.

Kai smirked at her back as she left, bowing his head so he didn't have to watch Tala eat his slop of ketchup with a side of eggs. When they were done they threw their plates in the trash and he grabbed his backpack from his room, having to find it in his mess, and met Tala out in his car that he had already started up while waiting for him.

Thankfully the ride was quiet, the only sound between the two of them was Tala's terrible choice in music, Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl blaring out while Tala sang along. Though every time the lyrics "I kissed a girl and I liked it" came up, Tala would play with the lyrics, singing "I didn't like it."

Kai was more than thankful that his new school was only fifteen minutes down the road, he couldn't take more of Katy Perry ringing in his ears. The song that started to play as he got out of the car happened to be one of Tala's favorites, and "Hallelujah it's raining men" came out blasting through the open door along with Tala's terrible impression of the singers as he belted out the lyrics.

"HAVE A GOOD DAY SKITTLES!" He shouted over the music, Kai rolling his eyes as he slammed the door as other kids turned their heads towards the concert on wheels.

Already he felt his nerves snapping with all the unfamiliar eyes on him, god he hated it when people stared at him. He glared back, and it worked as he watched the other kids jump and quickly turn their attention around as they filed towards the school's open doors. Shifting his bag on his shoulder he started behind the crowd, keeping his head low as he stepped into the halls.

He had been there Monday night, so he knew where all his classes were and where his locker was at. He went straight for it, opening it up and grabbing his math book from it's top shelf while stuffing his bag inside before slamming it shut with a pencil wedged behind his ear.

Down the hall he could hear someone blaring music off a portable speaker, the music vibrating down the hall among the voices of the other kids and teachers that were getting their things from their lockers and making their way towards their first period classes. He didn't care, pushing through the crowd to his first class.

"Mr. Granger, I'm sure you know by now this schools policy on hats." He heard a male teacher yell out as he walked through the pile of bodies.

"Class hasn't even started yet." He heard the student whine back, and he realized that he was heading in the direction of the kid who was getting scorned at by the teacher.

"You are on school property now, so take it off and hand it here." He said, and Kai happened to come up on them as the boy handed his baseball cap over to the teacher, looking displeased as he did so.

Great, he had math with what he could tell was the class clown. Not that he hadn't already had his fair share of them in his previous school, he had just hoped that his first day here wouldn't have already been such a pain.

He stopped beside the teacher, who was standing against the door as he held it open for his students to enter the room and he met his eye and smiled at him.

"You're Kai Hiwatari right? Welcome to Algebra B, I'm Mr. Martin." The man said.

He was a tall African American with dark skin and light-brown eyes, his head was cleanly shaven and he wore a suit of all things. Kai got the impression that his friendly smile was just as fake as Tala's eyelashes, the man radiated dominance off of him like perfume.

"If you don't mind waiting by my desk, I'll find you a seat once everyone comes in." Martin said, motioning his hand towards his desk that sat in the corner of the room, facing the desks that faced the white board.

Kai didn't object, even though he didn't like the idea of standing around like an idiot at the front where everyone would have to look at him as they came in and sat down. The boy that had his hat snatched from him came in behind him, taking a seat right at the front still looking sore for having his hat taken from him. Soon enough the classroom filled with other bodies, all taking their seats as their eyes bore into Kai's person while a few of them whispered to one another about him.

Mr. Martin came in just as the bell was about to ring, locking the door behind him as he stood in front of his class and motioned for Kai to stand beside him.

"Alright, listen up. This is Kai Hiwatari, I know he's coming a bit late into the game so for today we're going to do a review of everything we've already learned. You'll all pair up in groups of four, Kai you can join Emily and Tyson along with Kenny." He said, pushing on Kai's back to get him moving while the other kids were moving their desks around together.

Kai did as he was told, going over to the boy who had his hat taken as he was waving at him after having placed their desks together in a square. He took the seat next to the girl, Emily, and sat his book on top of his desk as he leaned into the back of his chair.

"I'm Tyson, this is Emily and Kenny." The boy without a hat said, motioning to the small boy beside him and Kai wondered if he was in the right class, and more so, the right grade. He looked like he belonged in the third grade, not to mention Kai couldn't even see the kids eyes behind his thick round glasses and mess of brown hair that hung in his face.

Tyson wore a big grin on his face, his midnight blue hair hung in his eyes as the rest was pulled back in low ponytail that stopped right below his shoulders. Emily wore round glasses like Kenny, but you could see her green eyes behind them and her hair was a red-orangish color that was cut below her chin. Something about her though made Kai leery of her, she looked pissed at the world but then again, so was he.

"So new kid, where'd you come from?" Tyson began, and Emily sighed and shook her head.

"Tyson, we're supposed to work. You realize that this is school right?" Emily asked, her voice nasally.

Tyson's grin didn't waver as he leaned against his desk towards her. "C'mon Em, we should get to know the new guy at least."

Kai glared at him, it wasn't like he was sitting right there and couldn't hear him. Plus, he didn't feel like telling them his life story. It wouldn't matter anyways.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather work." He said, opening up his text book.

"We were on page two fourteen." Kenny piped up beside Tyson, sitting in front of Kai as he too opened his book up looking excited to actually do the work they had been assigned.

"Not you too Kenny, c'mon it's all just review. If the guy is in this class, than I'm sure he knows what's going on." Tyson whined out, turning his attention to the smaller boy beside him.

"I'm still surprised _you're_ still in this class, Tyson." Emily sneered out, and Kai wondered if she was always this friendly. He kind of liked her attitude.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Tyson bit out angrily, grinding his teeth together as he held a fist in her face.

"That's enough over there, you better get to work Tyson or I'll have to talk to Coach Collins." Martin barked out causing Tyson to flop back into his seat, grumbling under his breath.

Emily snickered behind her hand, opening up her own textbook to the page they were on while Tyson slumped in his chair looking bored. The three of them read over the text, occasionally talking and discussing the terms between each other until the bell rang. Martin went to the door and before he unlocked it he ordered everyone to put their desks back the way they were before, the children did as they were told and he unlocked the door for them.

Kai was in no rush to get out, but he walked with a speed and purpose to his locker before anyone from his last class could catch up to him, mainly Tyson. All throughout class he had been trying to talk to him, while Kai had just wanted to get through the first hellish day and go home. He switched out his math book for his history one, slamming his locker shut and spinning on his heel where he rammed into another student and faltered backwards into his locker from the momentum.

"Hey, watch it bud." The other student growled out over the music coming from his portable speaker that he held over his right shoulder.

Kai would have wondered why he was allowed to have that thing, but he was too busy with picking up his text book that had fallen onto the floor to care. When he stood up the other boy was still standing there, looking like he had been expecting something from Kai all along. When Kai went to move past him, the taller teen held his arm out in front of him and smirked at the glare Kai was giving him.

"I don't think so, see you ran into me so I believe you have something to say to me." The boy said, looking down his nose at Kai.

"Move." Kai growled out, his eyes burning. He didn't care for people like this guy, hell, he didn't care for many people at all but these types of jerks got under his skin.

"What'd you say to me?" The boy asked, his white brow twitching.

"Move." Kai repeated in the same dark tone he had used before, his glare intensifying as he stared down the ridiculously tall teen beside him.

"Why you…" The teen grimaced, his teeth clenched as he balled his fist.

"What is going on here?!" Came a shrill yell, the two teens turning their attention to a girl with brown hair and brown eyes, hands on her hips. "Rick Anderson, don't you dare make me go to the principle with this!" She shouted out, her eyes holding a fire behind them.

"Get off my case Hilary, the chump ran into me!" Rick shouted back at her angrily.

"I don't like repeating myself Rick, now leave him alone or I'll make sure you're off the swim team this season!" She shouted, halting the passerby's to stop and now stare, great. Just what he needed, another staring fest.

Rick looked between Hilary and Kai, grinding his teeth again before he continued on his way. Kai barely spared the girl a second look, which seemed to infuriate her and she chased after him.

"Um, hello you could look a bit more grateful you know!" She shouted after him, he ignored her going to his next class. Hoping that she'd get the hint and leave, sadly for him, they were actually going to the same class.

"Ha, thought you could get rid of me that easily." She laughed, jumping in front of him as they entered the class room.

He stood there, staring her down. For some reason his power to scare people away was broken, it seemed to have no affect on her in the slightest. He breathed out a sigh, damn these annoying people. Why couldn't his foster mother just have home schooled him?

"What do you want?" He asked darkly, and her smile widened.

"A thank you would have been nice." She smiled.

"Look, I don't need you jumping into my business. I had it under control."

Hilary wagged her index finger at him. "That's not what it looked like to me, if I hadn't stepped in Rick would have clobbered you." She said with a smug look.

"Just leave me alone." Kai barked out, pushing past her. Where was the damn teacher?

"I'm Hilary by the way, the class president." She said, making the title sound as if it was important as she chased after him again, cornering him by the empty teachers desk.

"And I'm not interested." Kai said, crossing his arms over his chest as he squared his shoulders up.

Hilary blushed scarlet, her words coming out a stuttering mess as she tried to tell him that what ever he thought was wrong, that he shouldn't flatter himself so much until she had steam practically coming out of her ears.

"Never mind, you're just one big jerk!" She yelled, stomping off to her desk.

Kai smirked, not really caring for her opinion about him. So what if he was a jerk, it wasn't like he had asked for her help or even wanted it to begin with. He waited by the teachers desk until they returned, and a tall lanky man with glasses and a tie came walking in.

"New kid, right?" He asked, pointing finger guns at him and winking.

Kai nodded, this man kind of freaked him out a little. The teacher placed a hand under his long pointed chin, jutting out his hip as he scanned the classroom of bodies still coming in and finding their places.

"You know what, just find a seat. If it's someone else's we'll just move em'." He said, and Kai rose a brow at him. What was up with this guy?

Kai didn't bother arguing with him, finding the farthest seat that was closest to the door. The way the teacher had the desks set up made it look like they were about to go to war with one another, with four rows of three all facing each other with a space in the middle that allowed for a walkway. The teachers desk was beside the set closest to the door, where the white board also sat.

Lucky for him no one had come to claim his seat, and across from him he could see Hilary still fuming from their exchange earlier. He ignored her, listening to the teacher, whom he came to learn was called Mr. Mullins, talking up a storm about… Something. Was he even teaching history? Why did it matter if they knew when the soup can was invented?

By the time Kai had drowned him out the bell had rung and he felt like he hadn't learned a damn thing, at least Hilary had decided not to chase after him this time and he was able to go to his locker in peace. His next period was lunch and like always he wasn't hungry, so he stashed his history book and shut his locker, going off to find the library where he could enjoy some peace and quiet.

He ended up having to go through the courtyard to get to the library, several other students sitting outside enjoying the cool fall air as they ate lunch, he didn't bother to stop, pushing through the doors and getting to the library in one piece. When he opened it there was another student sitting behind the desk, busy scanning books and setting them aside in a neat stack beside him.

As the door opened the boys head snapped up, his golden eyes meeting Kai's and he smiled at him. "Pass?" He asked, and Kai rose a brow at him.

"A pass, for the library, do you have one?" The boy asked, looking a little upset.

"I came from lunch…" Kai said, since when did they need a pass to the library?

The boy behind the desk sighed, rummaging through the desk drawer beside him before he pulled out a pink stack of papers, quickly scribbling on it and tearing the top note off and held it out to Kai. Kai shifted over taking it from him, his brow arching again in question.

"Don't tell anyone, but just write your name on that and then put it in the basket here. When you go to leave I have to stamp it, also write your name on that piece of paper on the podium." The boy explained, motioning to the little white basket sitting on the corner of the desk and to the podium that stood in front of the doors.

Kai gave him a disbelieving look, all of this just to get into the damn library? It was stupid! They other boy must have thought the same as he began to laugh a little at the look on Kai's face.

"I know it's a bit extreme, but rules are rules." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Kai did what he was told, the boy having to hand him a pen, before he dumped his slip into the empty basket and wrote his name on the paper, finally able to go off he went towards the back. Maybe they had something worth reading in here? He dully scanned the titles, looking at each cover that had an interesting name before sticking it back where he had gotten it from. His ears perked as he heard someone walking behind him, only to see the boy from earlier carrying a stack of books in his arms as he was putting them back where they were meant to go on the shelves.

"You work here?" He asked with a raised brow.

"It's an elective." The boy said, slipping a book onto the shelf beside him. "It's actually pretty fun, plus I like the quiet." He said with a toothy smile.

Kai looked him over, like it was the first time seeing him. He had dark, almost purplish, hair that was stuck out all over the place. A read head band was sat on his forehead, pushing back his bangs where they fell and framed his face, the yin-yang symbol stuck in the middle of it. The rest of his hair was held back in what looked like a white rope, tufts of his hair sticking out the end like the tail of a lion.

"I'm Ray." The boy's voice brought Kai out of his staring, and he blinked at him a few times before his brain registered that he had said something.

"Kai." He said in a huff, wondering what had stopped his brain from working all of a sudden.

"Do you have an ID card?" Ray asked, his arms now empty as he had put all his books back where they were supposed to go.

Kai shook his head, he hadn't heard of needing one until now.

"I can get you one, you'll need it if you want to check out a book." Ray said, his golden eyes lighting up with excitement.

Kai nodded, feeling like if he spoke he'd say something stupid. The hell was his problem all of a sudden?! Ray motioned for him to follow and Kai obeyed, following him to a small dark room at the back of the library. Ray flipped on the switch, a blue tarp hung off a stand, while a computer and other pieces of equipment sat on a table on the side by the door. A stool was placed in front of the blue tarp, while a camera was sitting across from it.

"Just take a seat while I get this up." Ray said, nodding to the stool.

Kai did as he was told, sitting down on the stool in front of the tarp and facing the camera as Ray went around turning everything on.

"I'm really not supposed to do this by myself." Ray said in a laugh. "But I like doing it too much to really care."

Kai just rose an eyebrow at him, based off the way he looked Ray didn't seem like the kind of guy to misbehave. But what did Kai know, he barely just met the guy. They didn't know each other aside from their names… Had Kai even given his name?

"I'm Kai…" He said a bit uneasily.

Ray turned and gave him a look, another laugh coming from him. "You told me." He said with another toothy smile and Kai felt his face flush, he was an idiot…

"I'll need your last name though, so I can put it on your ID." Ray said, sitting down in front of the computer as he brought up the software to make the ID.

"Hiwatari." He mumbled, and Ray typed in the name quickly.

"Say cheese." Ray sang out, hitting the button for the camera.

There was a bright flash, Kai had just stared forward and blankly at the camera. A blank white piece of plastic got sucked through the machine, coming out the other end with his picture and name and ID number. Ray held it up, frowning.

"You're not much of a smiler, are you?" He asked, handing Kai his new ID.

Kai didn't say anything, taking his ID and putting it into his wallet and sticking it in his back pocket as he stood up from the little stool he had been sitting on.

Ray realized he wasn't going to get an answer, the guy sure acted like he couldn't talk. He shut everything down quickly, shooing Kai out of the little room as he turned out the lights and shut the door behind him like they had just come back from doing something unspeakable.

"Well, see ya." Ray said over his shoulder, waving to him as he went back to his desk.

Kai watched him go, trying to focus on something other than the guys ass but it was like his eyes had a mind of their own. He shook his head, quickly looking away. The hell was wrong with him?! He wish he could blame Tala, but he knew better than that; homosexuality wasn't something you could catch. You were either born that way or not, and for him he wasn't sure what hand he had been dealt with.

He went back towards the back, looking for a book before the bell went off. He blindly picked one up, it was better than nothing and it saved him from looking even more like an idiot.

Ray looked up at him when he approached the desk, holding the book out to him. Ray covered his face, trying not to laugh and Kai fought hard not to scowl at him.

"Scan your ID and then the book." Ray said, pointing to the scanner on the edge of the desk.

Kai's face felt hot again, quietly he took out his ID and scanned it the scanner made a dinging noise as he did so and then he scanned the book after it. Ray watched his computer screen, it giving him the go-ahead to take the book.

"Well, you're not a wanted criminal, so the book is yours until the end of the month." He said, giving Kai another toothy grin. "I'll need to stamp your pass to before you go." He said, motioning to the white basket.

Kai plucked it out, handing it to him. Ray stamped it, handing it back with the same bright smile on his face. Kai nodded his head at him as he started for the doors, not quite sure why it was so hard to stop looking at him as he went. Ray waved at him and Kai almost ran into the still closed glass door, Ray having to hide behind his hand as he chuckled at him. He liked the new kid.

Kai's face flushed brighter, quickly throwing the door open and storming out all the while screaming at himself inside his head. He was stupid, a complete fool, what the hell was with his brain all of a sudden?! His embarrassment turned to anger as he stormed to his locker to put away his book, swapping it out for his English text book before slamming his locker door with such force he was surprised he hadn't broken the latch.

He stormed off to his English class, a cheery looking middle aged woman as his teacher who greeted him at the door with a broad smile and directed him to an empty desk at the back of the class. The rest of the class filed in, just as the door was about to close and the teacher came to stand in front of the white board Ray's hand caught it and he stepped inside breathing in heavily, sweat rolling down his face and Kai's heart plummeted into his stomach.


	2. The Raven

**Thank you everyone who has come already to read this, hope you enjoy it and thank you for the reviews as always.  
Happy New Year!**

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Chapter 2- The Raven

"You almost didn't make it." The English teacher said, a cheeky grin on her face as Ray continued to heave in heavily, the bell ringing overhead.

"Almost." He panted, going to his seat as he caught Kai's eye and he smiled at him. "Hey." He said, sitting right in front of him.

Kai sunk into his chair, this was perfect… His stupid heart was already beating faster in his chest, what was he some stupid love sick puppy? Sure, he'd give it to the guy, he was cute and all and he seemed nice. But what kind of stupid cliché thing was this? It wasn't love at first sight, Ray just made his heart skip a beat, there were plenty of other guys out there that did the same, a few girls too. It didn't mean anything.

"Alright class, we're going to pick up reading The Raven. I know we already started it, but since we have a new face with us today we're going to start over. Julia, could you get the books and pass them out please?" The teacher said, looking to a girl with yellow and brown hair, the front portion of it yellow with the rest hanging loosely around her waist. Kai could tell she dyed it, and he scoffed quietly to himself.

The girl got up, going to the back closest and coming out with a stack of small paper books handing them out to each of her classmates before she carried one back to her desk and sat down. The sound of everyone opening their books filled the space, the teacher standing at the front of the class as she started to read over the beginning.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "Tapping at my chamber door, only this and nothing more." She read off and then paused, looking to her youthful class. "Who would like to read the next set?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

There was silence, of course there was silence, they were a bunch of moody teenagers stuck with each other for half of their lives being forced to be sociable and friendly with one another. Half of them wanted to still be asleep while others just wanted to be home playing video game or playing comics, Kai wanted to get to his room and set it up.

The teacher huffed, her eyes falling on a blonde haired boy sitting in the middle of the crowd and she smile at him and he visibly shrunk into his chair. "Max, why don't you take over and then pick the next reader?"

Poor kid, Kai thought, first he was getting put on the spot to read and then had the joy of picking the next poor soul. He watched as the blonde sat up in his chair, looking over his open book and started reading off, his voice cracking.

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow, from my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore. For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—Nameless _here_ for evermore." He read off, not bothering to look at his intended target. "Mathilda." He called, closing his eyes as if he was sentencing her to her death.

Kai watched as a girl with short pink hair picked up her book, she was sitting next to Max in the next row. He recognized her, they had math together.

"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me. Filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before. So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating "'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—This it is and nothing more."" She read off, her voice so high pitched that it almost hurt his ears. "Ray." She called and Kai felt himself tense as he watched the boy in front of him almost deflate before he picked up his book.

"Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, "Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore. But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door. That I scarce was sure I heard you"—here I opened wide the door; Darkness there and nothing more." Unlike the others before him he had actually put a little feeling into what he was reading and Kai had felt a shiver run through his spine, the teacher looking pleased at the reading.

"That was nice Ray. Now if everyone could read it with a bit more feeling, please?" She asked, eyes roaming over the kids.

"Do we have to?" Kai's ears perked, he recognized that voice and sure enough when he turned to look Rick was sitting on the far end of the room in the last desk of his row.

"Yes Rick, now how about you read the next line?" She asked, and Kai had to hold his breath to keep from laughing.

Rick didn't look pleased but he picked up his book anyways and held it with one hand, leaning his elbow on the desk as he looked less than enthused.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore? This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" Merely this and nothing more…. God this is SO stupid!" He finished off the reading, his voice dull and dry. The other kids snickered behind their hands, the teacher on the other hand looked less than pleased.

"That's enough Rick." She barked, the kids still laughing but now it was Rick's expense and his face turned red but he shut his mouth as he sat his book down on the desk.

"You need to pick someone." The teacher reminded, looking unfazed by Rick's sour attitude.

"Kane." He drawled out.

A boy with wild blue hair picked up his book next, looking at it and then up at the teacher. "What part were we on again?" The other kids lost it, all laughing as the teacher gave him a bored expression.

"Really Kane? C'mon now you goober, you know where we were so just pick it up please. This is why you all didn't finish it last time and why we're doing it again, so lets hurry this up while we're still young and beautiful." She said and the kids laughed again at her joke.

Kane huffed, scanning the book as if he had truly lost his place and then placed his finger on the written words in order to follow it as he read.

"Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. "Surely," said I, "Surely that is something at my window lattice. Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore. Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore. "'Tis the wind and nothing more!"… Boy this dude aint all that bright…" He said after reading, the kids laughing again.

"Not really, you'd think he'd realize now that something is trying to get in." Another boy behind Kane piped up, Kai recognized him from his history class, Johnny or something like that, he looked like a prick and that was all Kai needed to know to keep clear of him.

"Then why don't you finish up there Mr. McGregor?" The teacher asked with a smug look and the red heads face fell as he turned up his nose at her, just as Kai had suspected, he was a prick.

"No thanks."

"It's alright, I'll read." Another girl with pink hair said who was sitting in the front row beside his and Ray's row, Kai wondered if everyone here went to the same salon, but then again he had been born with an odd colored do.

"Thank you Mariah." The teacher sighed, the class going quiet as she picked up her book.

"Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter. In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he. But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door, perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door. Perched, and sat, and nothing more." The girl read off, mimicking Ray's tactic in reading it off with actual feeling. "Julia." She sung off, and the girl who had gotten the books for them smiled to Mariah as she picked up her book.

Kai had already read the poem five times over now and he was starting to get bored listening to them all, he kept his head low, his bangs falling in his face as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He was awake enough that he could still hear the others reading, his name not once being called as if he wasn't even there, but that wasn't a surprise since none of them but Ray knew his name. They had barely finished the reading when the bell rang, Kai picked his head up and closed his book; thank god that was over now.

Julia came around and collected the books back, taking them into the closet as the others grabbed up their things and started for the door. Kai had paused, as he was getting up from his chair and his heart plummeted further into his stomach like it had when Ray had came into the class.

The pink haired girl, Mariah, had rushed over to him and threw her arm around his. Ray didn't pull back or look upset over his personal space being invaded, if anything he looked happy as he held her arm in his as they walked through the door talking amongst themselves.

Kai looked on, as if he was glued to his spot before he shook himself out of whatever funk had come over him. So what, Ray had a girl to hang off his arm, it wasn't like they would have been anything anyways. That thought made Kai cringe, really wishing to know where all of these random thoughts and feelings were coming from all of a sudden for a person he barely knew.

Leaving the room by himself, he went to his locker to put his English text book away and closed the door with a sigh; two more classes to go and this hell would be over.

His next class was one of his electives, which he was thankful for, it was a stupid elective but stupid meant easy and that's exactly what he had been hoping for. It was titled Keyboard A, a class that taught you how to work a computer and type, of all things, and how to make word documents and all the things a teenager already knew how to do.

The room wasn't very big, the computers all sat on a built in shelf that lined the walls around the room with two actual desks that spanned the length of the middle of the room, facing each other, where the teachers desk sat in the far right corner from the door. He entered the classroom, greeting the teacher before sitting at the computer that was right beside hers as the rest of the class filed in and Tyson sat down beside him, and Kai felt like changing seats.

"Hey new kid, fancy meeting you here." Tyson grinned at him. He was met with silence and his grin vanished off his face as he pouted at him, looking like a child. "Well nice talking with you too buddy." He grumbled out, turning towards his computer and going straight for the pin-ball game, hiding it behind the program they were supposed to be working on.

Kai pulled up the program, doing the work on it like he was supposed to as the teacher hardly said two words to the class. She looked tired and bored, and Kai didn't blame her. There wasn't much to teach a group of teenagers about computers, this was their life.

The sound of people hitting their keyboards filled the silence, every now and then a few kids would pipe up and talk amongst themselves, the teacher tiredly reminding them to continue working. Kai watched out the corner of his eye at Tyson, still immersed in his game of pinball before the program shut down without warning.

"Get back to work Tyson." The teacher called, and Tyson chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head before he brought up the program they were supposed to be working on. Kai smirked to himself, he didn't care for slackers.

The bell went a half hour later, everyone closing down their progress before heading out the door to their next class. Kai had another elective, one he dreaded with all his being; PE.

He wandered down the hall with the sense of dread following him to his locker, taking out his gym clothes and sneakers from his backpack, that he had packed the night before, he shut the locker again and went down the hall to find the gym. He reluctantly found it, at the back near the cafeteria.

He walked into the gym, the other kids wandering and hanging around each other waiting for the teachers to come in and give them directions. He was barely five steps in when his name was called across the room, it echoing across the wooden floor and bare walls.

"Heyyyy Kaiiiii over hereeeee man!" Tyson shouted, jumping up and down.

Kai looked his way, not really caring and his heart stopped and flipped again. Ray was with Tyson, along with Max and Kenny. He frowned, Mariah was there too, still dangling off of Ray's arm like a blood sucking leech. Rick was nearby in his own group, along with a few new faces Kai had seen as he had passed by them in the halls, a few he remembered to be in some of his classes.

Ray waved to him with his free arm, with that same god damn beautiful smile. His feet moved him their own accord and before he could stop he found himself standing in their little circle.

"Everyone, Kai, Kai, everyone." Tyson said getting hit in the arm by Max.

"Tyson, that's not how you introduce people." He huffed then turned to face Kai standing in front of him in their circle. "I'm Max Tate, I think we had last period together."

Kai nodded, he remembered him.

"We met before, in the library. Looks like we have English and PE together though." Ray said, and Kai nodded again as he felt his throat clench up on him.

"I'm Mariah, Ray's girlfriend. We have English together too." The pink haired girl said as she smiled brightly at him, it almost blinded him.

"I'm Lee, Mariah's older brother. It's nice to meet you." A new face said, a boy much shorter than most of them with jet black hair and orange colored eyes. He held a hand out and Kai shook it, not wanting to look like a dick in front of everyone.

"We met in Math this morning, but it's good to see you again Kai." Kenny said while adjusting his glasses over his head.

Kai wasn't going to respond but even if he had it would have been drowned out by the PE teacher's whistle being blown to get their attentions. Everyone turned their attentions, there were three teachers standing side by side looking out at the mess of kids.

"Alright, form up!" One of them barked and like mindless robots they did as they were told.

Every freshman went to stand in front of the one that had ordered them to line up, while the Sophomores and Juniors did the same, Kai falling behind Ray and the others with the rest of the Juniors, Lee joining the Seniors. The teachers took each of their classes towards the locker rooms, the girls following each other and the boys going off to their own room.

Kai sighed heavily, waiting by the teacher's room so he could be assigned a locker. It didn't take long before he showed up, giving him his number and combination to the lock. Kai wandered around to the back where he found his locker, coming up on the others getting undressed and dressed into their gym clothes, Tyson was halfway stuck in his shirt and Max was pulling his shorts up on the right side, a bench sitting between the lockers. Ray was on the left side, still messing with the lock on his locker that happened to be right above Kai's, Kai cleared his throat getting his attention.

"Need help?" He asked uneasily and Ray sighed, hanging his head.

"Please? I can never get this thing." He said, flipping the lock with his fingers in agitation before he stepped to the side, letting Kai in his place.

"5, 25, 40." Ray listed off his numbers, Kai entering the code and the lock snapped open without a fuss. "Thanks." Ray cheered as Kai moved over a little so Ray could get to his locker and Kai could still get to his, bending down to enter his own code to open his lock.

As he was twisting the lock he looked up a little, his mouth going dry as Ray was undressing over the top of him as if it didn't bother him. Peeling his shirt off and thankfully he was wearing an undershirt, throwing his gym shirt over the top. Quickly Kai's eyes snapped back to his lock, cursing himself inwardly as his lock opened for him. He looked around him, feeling uncomfortable and spotting the bathroom stalls behind him. Quietly he slipped off towards an empty one, shutting and locking it behind him so he could dress in private.

He came back out, folding his clothes together neatly before he placed them inside his still open locker. Tyson and the others were finally dressed and had looked like they were waiting for him.

"Aw, are you embarrassed to dress around us?" Tyson teased, Max hitting him in the arm again. "What? It's not like we aint all got the same stuff! Is that it Kai? You embarrassed you aint packing?" He joked, thrusting his hips outward, the others shook their heads at him, Max running a hand down his face as it turned thirty different shades of red.

"That's not funny Ty." Ray bit out, narrowing his eyes.

"What, I'm just messing with him. The guy needs to smile more."

"It's not funny, some of us are very self-conscious about our bodies." Lee shot back, his face just as red as Max's.

Kai could careless what any of them thought, what did it matter if he didn't undress around them all? It wasn't like they were going to be able to bond over their bare chests or something, this was just another stupid class he had to get through and take.

"Lets get a move on boys, we don't have all day!" The teacher called through the locker rooms.

Kai kicked his locker shut, now wearing his sneakers, and followed after the others back out to the gym. Once again they were split up by grade and once the shuffling of bodies ended Kai and his group were led outside through the back doors where they walked the length the back of the school out to the football field that also doubled as a running track.

"Alright boys and girls, three laps each." That was all the teacher barked out, the kids at the front taking off in a run through the chain link gate that was opened for them.

"I hate this!" Tyson groaned.

"You do this for baseball practice, don't you?" Max asked, starting off with a light jog as he ran beside Tyson and the others.

"Exactly, I do it twice, sometimes three times a day!" Tyson whined out.

"It's healthy to run." Max defended, and Tyson could only frown at him in response.

"C'mon you slow pokes!" Ray called, speeding up as he broke their line of formation ahead of them.

"I'm not racing you again! You cheat!" Tyson shouted off after him, even though he said he wasn't going to he picked up speed to catch up to him, Lee already running beside Ray at a brisk run.

Ray turned, running backwards. "Me? Cheat? Say it isn't so."

"You're on the track team, so that's cheating!" Tyson yelled back, trying to catch up to him now.

Ray spun back around, his long hair flying behind him in the wind that swept past him as he picked up speed. "Loser has to buy pizzas after school!" He called over his shoulder, Lee running behind him but unable to pass him with Tyson, Max, Kenny, and Kai at the back still running side by side behind them.

"I give up." Kenny panted, falling back from the others into a slower jog.

"Why would we need to buy them, your uncle owns the place!" Tyson panted out, having to stop as he bent over on his knees to catch his breath. Max stopped beside him, Kenny catching up to them.

Kai kept going, something within him made him speed up and he took off down the track. He past Lee in almost a blur, causing the short teen to freeze in his tracks as he watched him catch up to Ray and the others who had started off before them all, coming around the second turn of the track.

Ray looked behind him, having heard the frantic footsteps behind him and grinned. It looked like the new kid wanted a challenge and he was happy to give it to him.

Ray sped up, Kai almost at his side as they made the turn around the first curve, having to dodge around the other bodies of the students that were starting to give up on running already. As they went into the long stretch towards the third turn the two picked up speed, both running side by side as their lungs burned from the cold air they were inhaling.

They made the third turn neck and neck, Kai kicking back harder and he passed him. Across the field they could hear Tyson and the others shouting for him to keep going and something in him pushed him to go faster, leaving Ray behind him. As the last turn was coming up he slowed down a little, Ray catching up within seconds and they were off again together around the track for their second lap.

"You shouldn't… Fall back… Like that… Don't hold… Back…" Ray panted out beside him, sweat rolling down his face.

"You shouldn't… Talk… While running…" Kai panted back with a smirk on his dry lips, going down the long stretch of track after the first turn, running past the others who had seemed to have forgotten that they were supposed to be running too.

It wasn't just them though, everyone had stopped to watch the race that had transpired between their star track runner and the new kid. At least they all had the good sense to move out of their path, standing on the sidelines and cheering on whoever they thought would win. Even the teacher had been too wrapped up in the race that he didn't yell at the others to get moving, watching the time on his watch to clock the two as they came around the third turn still neck and neck.

"Where… Where'd you learn to run?" Ray panted again.

Kai only smirked back at him, not having it in him to tell him the truth as he sped up, taking the lead. Most of the third lap he was in the lead, Ray falling back further and further from him. Around the last second turn he sped back up, having gained a little bit of energy back within him to try and finish the race as close as possible. It was a close one, no one quite sure who had actually won at all it was that close.

The two boys collapsed to the ground, Ray on his back on the cold concrete as Kai sat beside him wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. Everyone else came running towards them excitedly, cheering and shouting at them as they made their way over to them, forgetting all about the laps they all still needed to finish.

"My boys, that was some race. Ray, you set a new record." The teacher praised as he stood over them. "New kid, you ever thought about running track? You'd be pretty darn good at it."

Kai could barely shake his head, sure he could run, but if there wasn't a reason to he wasn't going to do it just for the hell of it. Ray looked a little relieved at Kai's decline, he wasn't a boastful guy but he liked being the star of the track team.

They were crowded around by their classmates, all joyfully and still cheering and shouting for whatever reason. It wasn't that great of a race Kai thought as he pushed himself off the ground, holding his hand out for Ray to take. Ray smiled up at him, taking his hand and standing up onto his own two feet. The second he was stabilized Mariah jumped into his arms.

"Oh Ray you were so amazing!" She cheered and Kai had to look away.

"No way, I was almost toast." Ray laughed, pulling away from her before the teacher started getting onto them about PDA. "You're one hell of a runner Kai."

Kai looked at him and nodded, "You too." He breathed, his lungs still dying from the overexertion. "Can I get some water?" He asked, turning to the teacher.

"Yeah, go ahead, the both of you. Everyone else, I said three laps. Let's go boys and girls!" He yelled out, seemingly remembering that they had a class to get back to.

Ray and Kai wandered off back towards the gym where they could find a water fountain, Ray falling in step beside Kai as they went. He held the door open for him, following behind him as they made it into the air conditioned room and inhaled deeply, the cool air feeling amazing on their flushed skin.

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Ray asked as they approached the water fountain.

"Running's not really my thing, thanks though." Kai said, waiting behind Ray as he took the first sips of water from the fountain they had come to.

"Really? You sure about that?" Ray asked, raising a brow at him as he stepped back, wiping the little bit of water off from the corner of his lips.

Kai nodded, ducking his head to get the water he so desperately needed. He stepped back and Ray jumped back towards the water, gulping it down like he couldn't get enough of it in him. They switched again, both smirking at each other as they traded places. By the time they were done guzzling down the water the rest of their class came inside, Ray going off to join his group again and Kai felt himself following after him.

"So, whose buying the pizza today?" Ray asked as he met up with the others in the middle of the gym.

"Who do you think?" Max asked, eyeing Kenny standing beside him covered in sweat, he looked like a soaked rat.

"That's alright, I'll see if I can work for it." Ray laughed, seeing that Kenny looked in no mood for their little joke.

"You're the man Ray." Tyson cheered before he grabbed Max's arm, hauling him off to a game of basketball going on in the corner of the gym.

"You want to come with us, Kai?" Ray asked, turning to the loner standing back from them all as if they were the plague.

Once again all eyes were on him and he quickly shook his head, "Maybe another time."

"I'll hold you to that." Ray said before he was led away by the arm, Mariah dragging him over to a set of bleachers with some other girls Kai recognized from his classes. Lee following after the two, leaving Kai standing there alone with Kenny.

"I need a drink…" The little boy whined out, dragging his feet towards the water fountain Kai and Ray had come from.

Kai watched him go before he scouted out a corner he could sit in, away from the others, until the class was done. With his back leaned against the folded up bleachers he closed his eyes, he was tired from the long day and running the way he did had taken it's toll on him. Luckily the final bell rang not long after he was able to rest and he pushed himself off the ground, filing back into the locker rooms to change again and finally be able to go home.

He didn't know why, but he had followed the others out to their lockers as they grabbed their bags and other things they wanted before stopping at his locker, they waited for him like he had done for them before leaving through the schools main doors together. He could already see his brothers car parked out at the front waiting for him. Tala lowered his glasses around the bridge of his nose, giving him a grin as he could see him surrounded by a large group of other kids. Kai glared at him, knowing he'd never hear the end of his brothers ramblings about him actually making friends on his first day.

The group followed him down the path, he wasn't quite sure why but he didn't question it. They stopped behind him as he turned to them, giving them a raised brow.

"Oh, you're not coming with us then?" Tyson asked, looking between Kai and the car as if it wasn't already obvious.

"Where you all going!?" Tala shouted through the open window, Kai turning and giving him another hardened stare as a warning to shut up.

"Pizza!" Tyson yelled back excitedly.

"Sure, he can go with you guys. I'll just tell mom where you are, and I can come get you later." Tala said with a cheeky grin, unfazed by the death glare his little brother was giving him.

"I have homework, and I need to get some things set up in my room… Just moved in and all…" He explained best he could, the other's excitement falling.

"Don't sweat it then, we go almost every day so you'll be able to join us another time." Max said.

"See you tomorrow Kai." Lee said with a smile, and he nodded to them as he turned and opened the car door, slipping inside it.

"Bye Kai!" The group sang out together, waving at him.

Tala waved for him, seeing as how he was now becoming a stone wall from all the attention they were giving him.

"I'll make sure he goes with you guys another time, see you around!" He yelled as he rolled up his window, turning up his music as Queen's I Want to Break Free started to blare out.

Kai cringed, sinking into his seat as Tala drove them away. Everyone else still waving until the car pulled out of the parking lot, going to their own means of transportation, which meant Lee's dad's black SUV.

"Nice group of friends you got there." Tala said as he turned down his music, and Kai tensed up in his seat.

"They're not my friends… Just people I happen to go to school with." He bit out angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Tala chuckled, shaking his head at him. "Oh Kai. Kai, Kai, Kai. You can't fool me."

"Just shut up…" Kai bit again, looking out the window as Tala continued to drive them home.

* * *

That night Kai was too tired to bother with his room, throwing his dirty clothes inside his closest after coming back from taking a shower. He threw himself down on his bed still in the middle of his room, at least his foster mother had put some sheets on it for him now and he curled up under them as he set his phone's alarm again for the next day, setting it back on the box that sat beside his bed before he dozed off into a heavy sleep.

Around midnight he woke up with a start, a cold sweat covering his skin. His foster mother and father coming into the room quickly, flicking the light switch on and it blinded him. His eyes were darting around the room frantically, trying to search out for anything predatory as his fists clenched his sheets tight around him.

"It's okay Kai, it was just a dream." His foster mother said, cautiously stepping up to him.

His head snapped towards her, a growl in his throat as his body tensed and his eyes still wild. It took him a moment to recognize her and his face softened, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

"I… I didn't mean to wake you…" He said, hanging his head.

"Oh no honey." She cooed, bending down beside him and placed a hand on his back. "You didn't wake us, we were still up." She lied, but Kai didn't have it in him to argue back with her, he was just happy that it was just a dream.

"Did you take your medicine when you had dinner?" His foster father asked him, still standing by the door.

Kai shook his head, he had forgotten about it.

"Micah, could you go and get it for him?" His foster mother asked and Micah nodded, going to the bathroom down the hall to retrieve his medicine for him.

He uncapped it, pouring out two large white pills into the palm of his hand and handed them over to Kai who took them and swallowed them whole.

"See if that helps honey and try to get back to sleep."

Kai nodded, already feeling tired again as he laid back down. "Thank you, Natasha…" He sighed out and she smiled at him.

"Of course darling. We'll see you in the morning." She said as she brushed back his sweat covered bangs fondly before she stood up, following her husband out of the room as he flicked the lights off again.

It wasn't long before Kai's eyes began to close on him again, Tala coming into the room quietly with his own pillow and comforter that he laid out beside his bed on the floor. The two were quiet as Tala situated himself on his makeshift bed, pulling his cover over his shoulders as Kai held a hand out towards him which he took and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting him go. The two falling asleep in the quiet darkness of the room.


	3. The Boy Next Door

**Welcome back everyone, and a BIG THANK YOU to all those who have come and left reviews for me. It really, really, means a lot to me.  
I decided to update this a lil early as I've actually got several chapters waiting in the wings ready to post, and I kind of want to get the ball rolling on this. So I'll have another update around the middle of the month and then the first of next month.  
As someone had pointed out in a review, this story is just more than the two genres I picked out for it (as most stories are) There's drama, violence, mentions of abuse, I'll do my best at humor, romance, and just pretty much everything else under the sun.  
We might teeter on the edge of some dark themes, as this is kind of like my way of opening up about my own personal life when I was a high school student. (No, I wasn't a foster child.) But part of me will be going into most of the characters in a way, as well as some traits of the people I used to know while in school along with some actual real life scenarios that had happened to my group of friends and I.  
Sorry for blabbing so much, enjoy the show and thank you all again. **

* * *

Chapter 3- The Boy Next Door

When morning came and his alarm woke him up, he got out of bed slowly and cracked his back with a groan. He hadn't slept well and he dragged his feet to the trash bags still sitting in the corner of his room, digging through them until he found a black t-shirt with one of the bands logos he listened to on it and a pair of jeans that were torn at the knee. Tala had already gotten up before his alarm went off, and since it was Thursday he knew he wasn't even home to bother him. Like clockwork, being a terrible creature of habit, Kai got himself ready for the day and his second day of school.

When he came out of the bathroom from styling his hair he greeted his foster parents, Thursdays Micah didn't have to go into the office until noon, and he was sat at the dinning table with a newspaper in front of his face as Natasha was at the stove burning bacon.

"Morning sweetheart." Natasha called, having heard Kai stepping into the kitchen.

"Morning." Kai answered back tiredly, making himself a cup of coffee to help wake himself up.

"Are you alright with taking the bus today?" Natasha asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah?" Kai asked with a quirked brow, he was a big boy now he could ride the bus by himself so he didn't quite understand why she was asking him.

"Just making sure, I have book club today and I don't know when I'll be home and you know how Tala likes to stay out late with Bryan." She chuckled and Kai nodded, it was better that Tala stayed out with Bryan than bringing him back to the house.

The kitchen went quiet after that, the only sound was the bacon grease sizzling and the coffee pot hissing as it spewed out the bitter goodness that Kai desperately wanted into a coffee cup. He plucked it out from under the machine and sat at the table with Micah, waiting for his plate as Natasha began to make toast for him to go along with his bacon as he sipped at the steaming cup of coffee.

The silence loomed, even when Natasha brought him and Micah their plates and he finished it quickly. Savoring the coffee a bit longer before he saw the time on the stove and bolted up, his heart sinking into his stomach as he realized he was going to miss the bus.

"Gotta go, thanks for breakfast Ma." He said quickly, jumping up from his chair and rushing towards his room for his backpack, slamming the front door shut behind him as he carried it over his shoulder.

He barely took a second glance around him, marching down the sidewalk to his bus stop that was three blocks away. Normally he would have taken his music player but had yet to unpack it from where ever it was he had stuffed it. Just as he reached the end of the second street a black SUV pulled up beside him and the windows rolled down, Tyson's head poking out through it.

"Hey Kai, whatchya doin?" He asked as he leaned against the open window.

Kai blinked a few times at him, what did it look like he was doing? "Going to my bus stop." He answered flatly.

"Come ride with us, we'll get you there quicker!" Came a high pitched familiar voice and he cringed as the back window rolled down, revealing Ray and Mariah sitting together in the back.

"There's still room." Ray said, meeting his eyes and Kai felt his stomach flipping again.

"Fine…" He breathed and Ray smiled at him as he threw the door open, Mariah scooting to the empty space beside her and Ray moving to the middle as Kai climbed inside, putting his bag by his feet and shutting the door behind him.

"Alright, now it's a full house." Tyson laughed as Lee put the truck into drive and took off down the road towards the school.

Max and Kenny were in the third row, talking amongst themselves about their history homework they had to do. Tyson talked with Lee, Mariah and Ray were silent, and so Kai was silent. At least whoever was in control of the radio had good taste, so he wasn't all that uncomfortable as it was ten times better than what his brother decided to play all the time.

When they reached the school and Lee had finished parking, they all clambered out and Kai waited for them as he felt it was the polite thing to do since they had picked him up.

"What's your schedule for today?" Tyson asked as he shut the door and Kai realized that he didn't have a backpack with him, and he thought back to the day before and remembered that he didn't have one yesterday either.

"Chemistry, Calculus, English 2, lunch, art, and family planning... Or whatever it is." Kai listed off and Tyson smiled at him like an idiot.

"Well that's sure a schedule, why'd you take that last one though?" Tyson asked as he raised a blue eyebrow at him.

Kai shifted his backpack on his shoulder as he shrugged, "Everything else was already full."

"I had the same problem, that's why I'm in it too." Ray said with a laugh. "Sounds like we have Chemistry together though, and lunch."

Kai felt his face heat up, quickly turning it away from him before he resembled a tomato. Cursing his teenage hormones for having the audacity to start acting up on him now, and over another boy who was clearly not into other boys. As if the universe was laughing at him and to stab him once more, Mariah came up and grabbed onto Ray's arm.

"C'mon lets go before we're late." She said, tugging on him.

"Okay, okay I'm coming." Ray said, barely putting up a fight as he followed her, the others doing the same as Kai brought up the rear of their little group.

They all dispersed by the time they got inside the school building, he stopping at his locker and didn't bother to look where the others went off to. As he opened his locker a small folded up piece of paper fell to the ground at his feet, he groaned inwardly as he bent down and picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket without bothering to look at it. He was just going to throw it away anyways. He fished out his chemistry book and stuffed his backpack inside his locker before taking out a pencil and sticking it over his ear and shut the locker behind him as he headed for his first class.

Just as Ray had said, they were in the same class together and painfully he was assigned to sit beside him at the long black desk on the most uncomfortable stool to ever have been made.

He did his best to pay attention to what the teacher was saying and writing on the board, but he could feel himself nodding off from the lack of sleep he had the night before. He closed his eyes, just for a little bit, and woke with a start as a hand came slapping down on top of his desk in front of him.

"Good to see you're still with us Mr. Hiwatari." His teacher said in a condescending tone as he looked down at him with his nose turned up in the air. "Can you tell the class how to solve the problem on the board?" He asked, pointing towards the white board and the equation he had written on it.

Kai stared blankly at the board, not bothering to listen to the others around him snickering. He read the equation once, the answer was obvious and it rolled off his tongue smoothly. The teacher looked more pissed off for some reason, but he didn't say anything as he stepped back towards the front of the class. Kai didn't really care to know what had crawled up his ass and died, it wasn't his problem.

"How did you solve that so quickly?" Ray asked in a whisper as he leaned towards him, eyes forward to look like he was still paying attention to their teacher.

Kai rose a brow and looked at him for a second, not quite sure what to tell him since the question was easy. "Do you really not know?" Kai asked, and Ray nodded sheepishly, looking embarrassed.

"I'm failing this class, like badly failing it..." He answered, looking more embarrassed at having to admit it and Kai felt a little bad for him.

"It's really not that hard." Kai whispered back, he didn't want it to sound mean but he wasn't even sure that if he explained it to him that Ray would get it if he wasn't getting it from the teacher's explanations.

"Excuse me boys, but we are in the middle of a class." The teacher barked, the two of them straightening themselves up as they turned their attention back to him and the board.

The teacher drawled on and Kai ended up tuning him out, everything he was saying was something he already knew. Ray on the other hand had been taking notes like crazy, writing everything the teacher was saying down quickly in his note book. Kai realized that was his problem right there and nudged him in the side with his elbow, knocking Ray's pencil out of his hand and he turned to him with a raised brow.

"You're not going to learn anything doing that." Kai whispered to him, eyeing the page of barely legible writing on it.

"We're supposed to do this." Ray argued back. "You fell asleep when he said to start taking notes."

Kai rolled his eyes, now he really understood his problem. "Give me a piece of paper." Kai said, nodding to the notebook on the desk.

Ray did as he asked, flipping through for a blank piece of paper and tore it out for him and slid it across the desk. Ray went back to looking at the teacher, carefully eyeing Kai beside him as he started to scribble onto the paper he had given him. Within seconds Kai slid the paper back towards him, three different questions written on it in the same kind of formula the teacher had written on the board moments ago.

Ray looked at the paper and then to Kai with a raised brow, not quite sure what he wanted him to do with it. Kai huffed and quickly scribbled out 'solve them' on the top of the page. Ray pulled the paper closer, reading over them and realized he had no clue how.

"I can't…" He mumbled.

Kai smirked, pulling the paper back to him as he began to solve the problems he had written out, showing how he had gotten his answers and slid it back over to Ray to glance at. Ray's mouth fell open a little, somehow Kai had made it look so easy and he felt stupid all of a sudden and his shoulders slumped forward before he took the paper and tucked it between the other sheets in his notebook.

"I'll go over it at lunch." He whispered and Kai nodded to him, pretending to be interested in what the teacher was spewing off next until the bell rang.

The legs of the stools scratching across the tiled floor sounded through the classroom, everyone getting up in almost perfect sync as they filed out of the room to their next class. Ray walked beside Kai, holding his notebook against his side as they wandered down the hall.

"Said you had calculus next?" Ray asked and Kai nodded, not knowing why Ray was even bothering talking to him.

They didn't know each other, and Kai wanted to kick himself in the ass for even thinking anything of the other boy. He was cute, and that was it.

"Are you taking all advanced classes?" Ray asked with an arched brow and Kai shook his head.

"Just a few, not all of them had the availability." Kai answered stiffly, he was terrible at conversation even on his best days.

"Makes sense then, you look pretty smart." Ray said with a grin and Kai felt his face heat up again, was that a compliment? "Think you could show me what you did at lunch, for chemistry?" Ray asked and Kai nodded, wasn't like he had anything better to do at lunch.

Ray's grin turned into a full blown smile and he nudged Kai in the side. "Thanks, I'll see you then!" He said excitedly as he jogged down a side hall, his wrap flowing behind him. It must have been his stop, Kai thought as he continued down the main hall for his locker by himself.

Like before, when he opened his locker another folded up piece of paper fell out by his feet. He picked it up, crumbling it as he stuffed it into his pocket with the other one without looking at it. He grabbed his calculus book, shutting the locker and heading for the stairs where his next class was on the second floor.

As he reached the second floor hallway the sound of music playing through the halls caught his ears, Rick was on the floor and was making his presence known. What surprised him a little was that Max was with Rick, looking to be in a deep conversation. Now, it wasn't like Kai really knew either of them aside from their names and what they looked like, but Kai really didn't think Rick was someone Max would willingly hang around. They just had two different types of energies, he understood Max hanging with Tyson, but Rick?

"I'm tellin' ya, she's really trying to get on my damn nerves." Kai heard Rick say over his music as he got closer to them.

"Maybe if you were a bit nicer to her, she wouldn't try to get under your skin so much.- Oh, hey Kai." Max said as Kai walked past them, Kai simply nodded back.

"You know him?" He heard Rick ask as he continued towards his classroom.

"Kinda, we have English, Lunch, and PE together."

"He's not much of a talker, looks like he's got a bad attitude." Rick said and Kai scoffed, he didn't know the half of it.

"Like you're one to talk." Max said back, and by then Kai had slipped into the classroom, drowning them out.

He took a seat in the back, not caring if someone had already had a claim to it. Something Rick had said got to him and he didn't know why, maybe it was the lack of sleep or the way people thought they knew him when they really didn't. It wouldn't even matter if they had tried though, he kept people at a good distance, only learning what he allowed them to learn.

Too many a times had he opened himself up to be crushed, he didn't need it happening again. He had two years left, then he could go off and be on his own without worrying about people trying to butt into his life.

"Um… You're in my seat." Came a fragile little voice beside him and his head snapped up from where he had leant it into his hand, his elbow on the top of his desk as he glanced at the person beside him.

Green hair and big purple eyes, he had seen this one at PE the other day around a group of other boys, one of them being Johnny from his English class. The fashion sense of this one was a bit strange, to him at least, and Kai wondered why this boy was allowed to wear a hat in school when Tyson had his taken.

"Find a different one." Kai said in a bored tone, the other boy just blinking at him for a second before he looked around the room and took the seat in front of him.

"Well aren't you just a refreshing breeze of cold air." The boy said in a condescending tone, and Kai's temper flared up unexpectedly.

"Whatever." He huffed and the boy turned around in his seat to look at him, a smile on his face that only irked Kai more.

"Ohhh, so chilly." He laughed in a mocking manner, and Kai ground his teeth together. "Don't look at me like that, I'm not the one with the problem monsieur." The boy said, flicking back his green curly hair from his face.

Kai arched a brow, he hadn't expected him to speak French at him like that and he smirked. "Vous êtes l'un avec le problème, c'est juste un siège (You're the one with the problem, it's just a seat)." He said coolly and the boy's eyes widened at him.

"Un homme de culture, très bon mon ami (A man of culture, very good my friend)." The boy said, and then leaned a little closer towards Kai. "My name is Oliver, it's a pleasure to meet you." He held a hand out and Kai looked at it for a second, finding it within himself to take it as he rolled his eyes as they shook hands.

"Kai." He gave his name, not even knowing really why he did but now it was out.

"You're friends with Tyson, aren't you?" Oliver asked as he took his hand back and Kai shook his head. "Oh, I saw you with them yesterday at PE. You all looked pretty close, and you came to school with them." Oliver said as he blinked in confusion at him.

Kai shrunk back into his chair, why was everyone staring at him all the time? It was like he was this prized piece of meat that they couldn't get enough of. Always knowing what he was doing and where he was going, who he was with, why did it matter?

"I wouldn't say we're friends just because of that… We hardly know each other." Kai mumbled, pulling his arms around his chest.

"But that's how it always works, you don't know everyone you meet right off the bat. You have to learn about each other, and grow together as friends." Oliver spieled off and Kai wondered why he sounded so… Corny all of a sudden.

"For what it's worth, I think you picked a good group of potential friends though." Oliver said with another wink, why did he keep doing that?!

"Hn…" Kai grumbled, not caring for the conversation to keep going. Lucky for him the teacher finally came in, about ten minutes late after the bell had already rung.

Oliver saw that as his cue to turn around, focusing on the teacher and the lection they were thrown into. For once Kai felt challenged, the teacher actually knew how to teach aside from making them just take notes and he felt like he was going to like this class, aside from Oliver, of course.

Something about the kid was bothering him, something with the way he smiled… It looked fake. Like he was hiding something behind it, but what did he know? Nothing, absolutely nothing. He had his own problems, he wasn't about to get into someone else's problems. He wasn't a hero.

The bell went off and he filed out with the other mindless zombies, going through the motions for his next class, English 2, and for once when lunch rolled around he was actually hungry.

He followed the crowd towards the back of the school where the cafeteria sat, as he got closer an arm came around his neck and he stiffened under the weight on his shoulder, his hands clenching at his sides in a natural response.

"There ya are! We were lookin for ya." Tyson's voice rang in his ear and he breathed a little bit easier knowing it was just him, Tyson was lucky that he had said something before Kai knocked his teeth in from having snuck up on him.

"C'mon, lets get some food. I'm starving and we'll join the others outside, we have the best seat in the house." Tyson said, dragging Kai along with him towards one of the three lines for food, barely giving him any room to protest.

As they followed along the line Tyson was relentless, spewing off a mile a minute about… Something. Kai didn't know, he had drowned him out. Once they got their trays of the wonderful school slop, Kai followed Tyson towards the outside where more picnic tables sat under a glass roof over looking the courtyard.

Already the others from Tyson's little group were there eating and in a full blown conversation. "Hey, look who I found." Tyson sang as he approached the table, sliding down beside Kenny and Max.

"Good to see you could make it." Max said in a bright smile, his blue eyes shining behind his mop of blonde hair.

Kai just nodded, taking the end across from the blonde next to Ray who had been sitting on the other side by himself. He picked at his food, not really caring to eat it all the way. The way Tyson was eating was enough to kill his appetite, he wasn't sure how the others could still eat around him; he was a pig.

"You going to eat that?" Tyson asked, eyeing Kai's food and Kai pushed his tray towards him. "Thanks man, I'm liking you more and more."

"Guess it's settled then, Kai's in our group whether he likes it or not." Max laughed and Kai wondered if it was too late to object or not. "Do you have a sport that you play?"

Kai blinked, what kind of question was that? "No."

"Oh, well if you're still unsure we're always looking for more people to join the swim team." The bubbly blonde said excitedly.

"Come on Maxie, nobody wants to have to shave their legs just to swim in a pool." Tyson groaned out, turning to Kai. "If you want to play a _real_ sport, join the baseball team. You'll get all the girls then." He said, wiggling his blue brows with a cheeky grin.

Max smacked Tyson in the arm, something that Kai noticed happened frequently and rightly so. "Like you have any luck with the girls, and you've been playing baseball since you were in the fifth grade."

"Hey now, I'm workin on it!" Tyson yelled back, rubbing his arm.

The other three laughed at him while Kai could only smirk, they weren't that bad of a group of idiots. At least they were now his idiots, somehow.

"There's no sense in asking you again to join the track team, since you already shot me down there." Ray said in a laugh and Kai felt a little bad, he hadn't meant for him to take it that way. "Not that I don't mind, saves me from having to kick your ass each time." He laughed again, nudging Kai in the side.

"You know what I don't get." Tyson said, looking serious all of a sudden and everyone turned their attention to him. "All you do is run around in circles, but you got girls throwing themselves at you. How'd you do it?" He asked and the others laughed at him. "What, I'm serious! I bet Mariah carries mace just to keep them at bay."

"Dude, whoever told you that playing sports got you girls lied to you." Max said as he tried to control his laughter, shaking his head.

"Well it should, I mean look at me!" Tyson said as he jumped from his seat, lifting his shirt up high to show off his stomach. He was slightly built, maybe an ab or two, but he still had a small pooch from having stuffed his face earlier.

The others lost it, Kai covering his face from embarrassment as he wondered if there was a return policy on idiots and when it expired.

"That's nothing, look at this!" Max said next as he jumped from the bench, lifting his own shirt up showing off a toned sleek stomach. He let his shirt fall, slamming his foot on the bench portion of the picnic table and lifted his pant leg high to show off his well defined calves, perfectly shaven at that.

Ray started to look embarrassed now as other students were looking their way, luckily he was used to their antics so it didn't last long. Kenny had gone quiet, finishing his food as he worked on his school work on the side.

"I don't think Kai will have problems with getting girls, look at those guns on him." Max beamed once his and Tyson's body showing contest was over, sitting back on the bench with Tyson beside him.

"That's it! You should totally join the wrestling team! You'd kill them with those babies!" Tyson shouted excitedly, his eyes beaming.

Kai rolled his eyes, him in tight spandex while rubbing against other sweating guys wasn't on his list of things to do before he died.

"No thanks, I'm good without joining a team or a club." He said, crossing his arms over his chest and the others eyes went back to his pale well-toned arms.

"Well how did you get them? Can you teach me your technique?" Tyson asked, practically drooling.

"I lift weights." Kai said as if it was no secret. "And I've helped my dad around the house with projects." He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh! I know! How bout you and Ray arm-wrestle!" Max said, practically bouncing in his seat.

Ray and Kai looked at each other after having stared blankly at Max for a minute or two, where had that come from? Kai noticed that like him, Ray had well defined arms as well but was that really supposed to surprise him? He was an athlete like the others, but his were more defined than the other two.

The bell rung overhead before they could agree or disagree, Ray the first to stand as he pushed away from the picnic table taking up his tray.

"Maybe another time Maxie." He said in a chuckle and Kai nodded like he was agreeing with him, thankful that there wouldn't be a next time.

"Alright my men, I'll see you all later." Tyson said his goodbyes, taking up his tray as he was the next to go.

Max and Kenny following after him with their own trays, Kai was the last one to stand, taking his tray to throw away too, before they lost sight of each other in the crowd.

As the day continued to roll on, and he went through his last two classes that were both easy electives, he about fell asleep near the end before the final bell rang. With a pocket full of five crumbled notes he grabbed his backpack and started for the front doors, of course the others were outside waiting for him.

"Need a ride?" Lee asked as he was leaning against the railing to the stairs.

Kai nodded, wouldn't hurt to go back home with them since he didn't have his music player to drown out the kids on the bus. Everyone followed after Lee to his truck, climbing in the seats they had been in that morning as he took off down the road to drop them all off.

He stared out the window, watching the houses roll by for fifteen minutes until Lee came to a stop. He hadn't given him his address, figuring he'd just get dropped off where they had picked him up that morning only to realize he had stopped at the corner of his street where his house sat.

"Thanks for the ride Lee, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Ray said as he collected his bag, looking to Kai to open the door for them to get out and Kai felt a slight panic within him.

Kai opened the door, grabbing his own bag and stepped out, holding the door as Ray climbed out behind him. Ray waved to the car as it continued down the street away from them before turning to Kai with a grin on his face, like he knew something Kai didn't.

"I take it you didn't realize we were neighbors, did you?" He asked with a cheeky grin and Kai's heart slammed into his chest, this was perfect. Absolutely clichéd and fucking perfect.

A chuckle passed Ray's lips as he took Kai's stunned silence as his answer. "We saw you this morning, when you came out, but you were practically running that we didn't get to you till you got to the end of the other street." Ray explained and Kai could only nod dumbly at him, he was such an idiot.

"Since we didn't get a chance to go over that chemistry work, do you wanna come over?" Ray asked, nodding to his little house beside Kai's and it was like Kai had just seen the house that sat beside his own.

It was smaller looking than his, light brown siding covering the outside with a gravel driveway. The yard was almost boxed in by lines of overgrown bushes, and there was a small front porch. Somehow, it suited Ray.

"Maybe this weekend? I still have some stuff I need to do." Kai said, motioning to his own home.

"Okay, that's fine. Let me have your number, that way you can let me know when you're free." Ray said as he reached in his back pocket for his phone, unlocking it and handing it to Kai.

Kai put his number in, and Ray sent him a text that simply said 'hi' on it. Now that was done Kai shifted uncomfortably where he stood, not sure what to do now.

"See you tomorrow then." Ray said, waving over his shoulder as he started for his home, Kai watching him go before he turned around for his own home.

He shut the door behind him, leaning against it as he wanted to scream. What was this, a stupid romcom? First he acted like a complete idiot their first meeting, now Ray just happened to live _right_ beside him?! He couldn't even place his feelings for the other boy, he'd had plenty of crushes before but this one felt different. He actually prided himself in being able to read people, he was quite good at it actually, but when it came to Ray. He couldn't read him, something was off about him and he didn't like it.

It was easy to dissect what kind of people Tyson, Max, and Kenny were. They looked one dimensional, even Mariah and Lee he could read but not Ray. Everyone he had already met he could tell what kind of people they were without having known them that well. Rick was a jock that didn't care for others but himself. Johnny was a prick that tried to pass off as a badass with an even worse sense of humor. Emily was a brainiac, possibly lesbian. Hilary was a preppy girl who liked being seen and heard, whether her intended target wanted to see or listen to her. Already he could dissect them and pick them apart, even without them knowing or having to tell him themselves.

That left Ray, he had tried to place him in a certain clique but each one he came up with didn't work. Even Oliver was a little hard to place, but he had already decided that Oliver was just a preppy boy with too much money and a big ego. He fit along side Johnny perfectly, which made sense since they seemed to be friends.

He finally had enough of trying to put the others in their own little boxes with each other, Ray was nothing more than the boy next door now. Who he happened to have an unexpected crush on, and that scared him more than anything.

Too much was happening, not enough to keep him feel grounded again and he was starting to panic. From the move to being thrown into a new school and new faces, to having these sudden feelings for someone he didn't know, he felt himself collapsing and needing something to feel right again.

With shaking fingers he dug in his back pocket for his cell phone, going to a nameless number and hit the call button. The nameless number answered on the third ring, and Kai's heart raced more into his chest knowing full well that he shouldn't be doing what he was about to.

"Kai, it's been a while."

"Can you pick me up?" Kai asked, his blood rushing in his ears.

"Oh? What's this now?" The other male voice came out smoothly, it sending shivers through his body.

"Can you or not?" Kai barked out, getting impatient.

"Sure, I'm free anyways. What'd you have in mind?" The smooth voice asked in a seductive tone.

"When you get me we'll figure it out, just hurry up." Kai said harshly, ending the call and texted the nameless number his new home address.

He breathed in heavily, running a hand down his face before he pushed himself away from the door, taking his backpack with him to his room where he tossed it inside carelessly. He went to the bathroom, splashing himself with cold water to still his nerves. Grabbing his bottle of medication from the medicine cabinet he downed two of the large white pills, placing the bottle back and began to pace the living room for twenty minutes until a car horn blared out through the stillness of the air.

Kai rushed out, locking the door behind him as he stuffed his hands in his pockets with his head low as he approached the red car waiting for him on the street. The second Kai climbed in, the drivers teal eyes watching him quietly with a predatory smirk on his lips, he sped off down the road.

Behind them, neither had noticed Ray standing and watching on his front porch, a cigarette between his fingers as he leaned against the wooden railing following the car with his eyes until he could no longer see it in the distance.

* * *

 **Sorry if my French is off, I don't speak the language and relied on google translate.**

 **And before anyone starts jumping down my throat about Ray smoking while being on the Track team, this is part of something from my life that I pulled out. One of my friends smoked and she was one of our top runners on Track, so please I don't want any reviews about it. There's a reason for everything that I put into my stories and we'll delve into Ray's backstory a bit later on.  
**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, reviews are always appreciated, and if anyone wants to take a guess at the unknown number please fire away with your guesses. Until next time.  
**


	4. Migraines and Heartache

**So, updating early as I'll be going off the grid here soon for the release of Kingdom Hearts 3. I'll update one more time the day I get my copy in the mail (sometime around the 28th to the 1st.) After that it'll just depend on how long it takes me to beat the game and come out of whatever hell it's gonna put me through.**

 **As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, faved, and all that good stuff.**

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Ch 4- Migraines and Heartache

The feeling of soft fingers running down his bare back and a breath of cool air ghosted over his neck woke him from his deep slumber, face down in a pillow as he was sprawled out in the center of a bed. The fingers continuing their travels down his spine, tracing the faded scars that littered his pale skin; some short and deep, others long and shallow.

Slowly Kai lifted his head, it already pounding from the hangover starting to make itself known and he groaned, his entire body felt heavy as he tried to blink away the sleep. The room was dark, the black-out curtains doing their job in not letting even a sliver of light through the windows.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

Kai's body tensed, what had he done?

Finally his brain registered that he was naked, laying on his stomach on a bed that was not his own but not unfamiliar. The fingers still dancing on his skin that became covered in goosebumps and he swallowed the lump in his throat, his memory foggy like his head.

"What time is it?" He asked, finally having found his voice, his throat dry.

There was a slight shift in the bed beside him, "It's ten thirty." The voice said, the body shifting back towards him and the palm of the other males hand settled on the small of his back. "You look like you needed the sleep, after last night." He chuckled close to Kai's ear, too close for his comfort and he jerked away from him.

"You should have taken me home hours ago, dammit." He growled out, clenching his teeth as he pushed himself off the bed and away from the other male, scanning the dark room for his clothes and his head throbbed harder from the movement.

"I would have, but we had a few drinks." The male laughed, sitting up in his bed, the sheet falling around his waist as he watched Kai search through the darkness of his room, the sound of glass bottles being kicked into each other echoing through the room.

"Fuck…" Kai hissed, feeling his way to the other side of the room and flipped the light switch on, blinding the two of them momentarily before they got used to the light.

He spotted his clothes by the bed, his jeans underneath it and his shirt beside him by the door. The other male produced his boxers out from under the bed, holding them up on the tip of his index finger, a coy smirk on his fair lips as his teal eyes gleamed with delight.

"Hand them over." Kai said dryly, holding his hand out as he stepped up to the end of the bed.

"Hmmm I don't think so."

"I'm not playing right now, so hand them over." Kai said in a darker tone, narrowing his crimson eyes at him.

"Did I wear you out last night?" The other male asked, his smirk still on his lips.

Kai ground his teeth, only causing his headache to sear with pain. "Fine, keep them." He spat, going around and gathering his jeans from under the bed before going back to where his shirt lay by the bedroom door.

"Oh come on now, lighten up a little Kai." The male said, throwing Kai's boxers at him. "You haven't changed at all."

Kai glared at him, catching his boxers with the rest of his clothes bundled up in his arms. "I'm taking a shower and then you're taking me home." He said, turning on his heel and walking out of the bedroom, slamming it behind him.

Once he made it into the shower, the water coming out boiling hot against his skin, he leaned his forehead against the tiled wall as he let the water fall over him. It didn't soothe him, his nerves starting to get riled up as he thought about the hell he'd be in once he got home. It wasn't often that he acted out, but when he did his foster parents were a little over the top and he could understand why; they could lose their license if something happened to him.

He tried to calm himself down, the worst thing they could do is call his social worker and have him placed with a different family. He didn't think it'd get to that part though, this wasn't the first time he had stepped out of line. He could practically hearing them yelling at him now, but it did nothing to change what he had foolishly done. Why, he wasn't even sure.

He thought he had it under control, the want to go back to what he had before but apparently he was wrong. Him standing under his ex's shower head was a clear testament to that, he was just a glutton for punishment.

He washed, almost numbly, trying to get the lingering stench of the night off of him. His ass hurt a little, but that was nothing compared to the headache he had now from his hangover. When he got out of the shower he rummaged through the medicine cabinet looking for an aspirin, taking three and praying they would kick in quickly. When he wandered back to the bedroom his ex was still laying on his bed, his phone in his hands texting; at least he was dressed though.

"C'mon, we have to go." Kai said, grabbing his boots and socks as he sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.

"Yeah, I heard you the last time." His ex said, putting his phone down and got up to get his own shoes on. "Why did you call me?" He said as he came back to the bed and sat down with his back to Kai.

Kai paused, why had he called him? He had tried to think of a reason when he was in the shower but nothing had come to mind. Was he that weak, that unable to control his own feelings and emotions that he had to run back to him? After everything he put him through?

"I don't know." Kai answered quietly, tying his boot up.

"You having troubles at that new school?" His ex asked, turning around and looking at the back of Kai's still soaked hair; he always liked it when it was down and fell around his shoulders like it was now.

"Not really… I've only been there for two days." Kai answered back dully.

"Those fake parents of yours giving you a hard time?"

"No! And they're not 'fake parents', they're the only kind of real I've ever had!" Kai answered angrily, his head snapping around as his eyes burned in anger at him.

"Calm down, I was just asking… There must be a reason you called me, I'm not stupid Kai."

"Why does it matter now? I got what I wanted and you got what you wanted."

"Don't make it sound like that, makes me feel like you just used me." His ex said in a fake hurt tone of voice, his teal eyes softening as his fair lips turned up into a smirk.

"Well I did." Kai spat back, his eyes narrowing.

His ex's smirk didn't fall away as he turned around fully and climbed the space of the bed between them, cupping the sides of Kai's face in his hands before he leant in and kissed him. Kai fought back for a second before he gave in, kissing him back. He didn't feel anything, it had always been that way but he didn't care. He had never actually felt anything for him, so he really didn't understand why he would put himself in this position again to be used and abused by him.

"That's enough, I need to get home." Kai said as he pulled away, pushing himself off the bed and making sure he had everything.

His ex chuckled, shaking his mess of red-orange hair before he pushed himself off the bed and started for the bedroom door, grabbing his keys off the night stand before he let Kai go before him.

The ride back to his home was tense, telling his ex to stop a few blocks away from his house and he listened, pulling to a stop on the side of the road and waited for Kai to step out but he hesitated.

"Don't… Don't think this meant anything." Kai said, eyeing him carefully beside him.

His ex smirked, "Of course not."

Kai didn't say anything back as he slipped out of the car, shutting the door behind him and didn't bother to watch him drive away.

He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets as he walked towards his house, seeing it in the distance until he was standing at the front door. Both his foster parents and Tala's cars were in the driveway, and he took in a deep breath before he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Where were you?!" Came the onslaught before he even took a step inside, Natasha standing in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips as she stared at him heatedly, her icy-blue eyes darkened in her anger.

"I went out…" Kai answered, shutting the door behind him.

"Out? You went _out_? Kai, it's twelve in the afternoon! You've missed school, your phone was off and you didn't even tell one of us where you were!" Natasha went off, using her fingers to count off each of her points as her face turned just as red as her hair.

"I'm sorry… It won't happen again." He said, trying to keep them from boiling over more than they already were.

"Where were you?" Micah asked and turned around to face him, standing up from his spot on the couch that faced the wall across from the door, Tala was sitting on the loveseat next to it against the left wall of the living room as he pretended to be picking at his nails.

"Just with a friend, I lost track of time and my phone died. I ended up staying at their place." Kai said, it wasn't a lie but it wasn't the full truth either.

"Which _friend_?" Natasha near enough squealed out at him.

Kai wasn't quick enough to think of a name, he could have used any of the boys he had met at school but he wasn't dumb enough to use them as a scapegoat. Natasha read his face as if the answer was written all over it and she frowned hard, shaking her head as she put a hand to her forehead.

"Please tell me you didn't…" She groaned out.

"I'm sorry…" Kai tried again, feeling his heart sink into his chest.

"What were you thinking?!" Micah's normal calm voice boomed out at him and he flinched back from the sound of it, thankful that a hand wasn't going to follow it.

"You know he's dangerous, why would you go back to him? You're better than that Kai! He's no good for you, for anybody, you know this! We strictly told you that once we moved you were to cut all ties with him!" Natasha shouted out, her voice higher pitched.

Kai could only nod, he knew why they wanted him to but what was he supposed to do about it now? It was in the past, no matter how hard any of them wanted to they couldn't change what he had foolishly done.

"I'm sorry… It won't happen again…" He repeated, feeling it was the only thing he could say now.

"It better not!" Natasha yelled, taking in a few deep breaths to calm herself from blowing up further. "And he better not know where we live!" She added as an afterthought.

When Kai didn't respond she clenched her teeth and screamed through her teeth, shaking her fists in anger.

"What were you thinking?! The hell has gotten into you?!"

Kai could only shrug, keeping his head low.

"Just go… Go to your room." She ordered, jutting her arm out towards the hallway.

Kai silently obeyed, making quick work of leaving them in the living room as he went to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him before he threw himself down onto his bed still sat in the middle of his room. He pulled his cellphone out of his back pocket, turning it back on to show that it had half a battery left and he had several missed calls from his foster family, as well as different text messages from them and a few unknown numbers and two from Ray.

Kai felt his heart start to race again, going through the messages from the unknown numbers. They were from the other boys, all asking where he was and if he was alright. He would have appreciated their concerns if it wasn't for the headache still in the side of his head, or that he didn't know what to tell them. He didn't want them to be close like this and he wanted to strangle Ray's neck for having given out his number to the others without his permission, but he thought better of it and deleted them all instead, sitting the phone down on the box that had become his makeshift nightstand.

His door creaked open, Tala stepping in and shutting it behind him before he took a seat on the floor next to Kai's bed. For the longest time they just looked at each other in silence until Tala released a breath of air in a sigh, shaking his head at him.

"Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did."

"I did." Kai said plainly, unmoving.

"Why?"

"I don't know…" Kai said, as it was the only answer he could give.

"This move was supposed to be a new start for you, for all of us, why would you jeopardize it by bringing _him_ back?" Tala asked, his voice soft and filled with concern.

"It didn't mean anything."

"You think that matters? Kai you know better than I do what kind of person he is, you really think that he isn't going to try and get you back now that you've reopened that door?" Tala asked, his voice raising slightly.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you…" Kai breathed out, he was getting tired of them bringing what he did up, it wasn't like he didn't know what he put at stake.

"I want you tell me why, why you would do this to yourself when you've been given the option to start fresh."

"Because my entire life has been flipped upside down!" Kai shouted, pushing himself off his bed to face Tala more properly. "I've never had anything solid in my life and for once I did, with him! And then that was thrown out the goddamn window when we had to move, and then I'm thrown in with all these different people that I don't know or care to know! I just wanted, _needed_ , to feel like I still had something solid and something I could control!" Kai yelled out, Tala blinking at him a few times.

"But you know he isn't good." Tala breathed out.

"Of course I fucking know that! I have a good damn reminder of what he did to me that I carry around all the _fucking_ time!" Kai screamed, pulling the collar of his shirt down to reveal a large burn mark just below his left collar bone. "It didn't mean anything, it never will mean anything!" He continued, letting go of his shirt and ran a hand through his hair. "I know what I did was stupid, dangerous even, but I promise it won't happen again." He said in a calmer tone.

Tala sat in silence for a moment, thinking over his responses before he reached out and pulled Kai into him in a tight embrace. "You scared the shit out of me, don't ever do that again." He said, holding him closer as his arms began to tremble.

Kai closed his eyes, putting his arms around Tala's back to return the hug. "I won't… I'm sorry."

Tala squeezed him tighter, patting his back before letting him go as he left his right hand on Kai's left shoulder. "You're smarter than this, don't make the same mistake twice. Okay?" He asked, giving Kai's shoulder a slight shake.

Kai nodded, a small smile on the corner of his lips.

"Wish I could save you from moms wrath, but we both know that's not going to happen so good luck." Tala said as he stood up, ruffling Kai's hair a little before he took his leave.

Kai watched him go quietly, he knew his foster mother wasn't done laying into him and it was now just a waiting game for when she made her appearance again to finish him off.

As he waited he decided to get working on his room, getting the railings to his bed and setting it up in the far left corner of his room, setting his box spring and mattress on them. He remade the bed, making sure it looked good before he continued around his room pushing his dresser in the corner across from his bed, setting his TV and game system on the top of it.

By the time he had gotten through his third box of random junk and had sat everything out his door opened again, Natasha stepping into the room and sitting on the black leather couch he had set up on the wall beside the door.

"It's starting to look good." She mused, looking around it and Kai smiled at her. "Sit down." She said, pointing at his bed across the room from her.

Kai obeyed after setting down a stack of books on his desk at the end of his bed, sitting down on the edge of his bed and met her eyes with his. The two stared at one another in a tense silence, he could see her disappointment in her eyes and the fear she had from not knowing where he had been or if he was safe. He knew she loved him like her own son, and his heart and soul hurt for putting her through what he did.

"Were you safe?" She asked with a heavy exhale and Kai nodded. "Did you drink?" Kai nodded and she sighed deeply again, closing her eyes as she willed herself not to lose her control.

"Did he hurt you?" She asked, opening her eyes and Kai shook his head. She studied his face to see if he was lying, when she saw no hint of a lie she felt like she could breathe a bit easier.

"I don't want to know why, but you best believe I don't want to _ever_ find you out with that boy again, do you understand me?" She asked in a cold voice and Kai nodded. "You're phone and computer are mine for a week, you are to only go to school and come home, no exceptions." She said in a stern tone, her eyes boring into his and he nodded again.

"For the week you'll be taking Tala's chores, as extra punishment. Sound good?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered, knowing full well he had gotten off easy.

Natasha stood up, walking the space of the room towards him and held her hand out. He pulled his phone out from his pocket and handed it to her, she placing it in her own pocket for the time being. Without a word she went over to his desk and picked up his laptop, cradling it under her arm as she turned back around to face him.

"I love you, Kai. I don't want to lose you, so please use your head next time before you go and do something as reckless as this."

"Love you too Ma." He said back and she smiled a little at him before taking her leave, closing his door behind her.

Kai picked up his music player, sticking the earbuds into his ears as he turned the volume at full blast as he finished putting his room together, it being the only thing he could do now that he didn't have his phone or computer. He was thankful that the aspirin finally had kicked in and his head wasn't hurting as bad, letting him feel a bit more normal as he cleaned up the empty boxes and trash bags, carrying them outside and putting them in the trash and recycling bins.

Since his room was done now he went about the house doing his and Tala's chores, per his punishment, and by the time he was done with everything and the last bit of laundry had been folded and put away it was nearing four in the afternoon.

With nothing left to do he laid out on the couch, turning the TV on as Tala came and joined him, stretching out on the loveseat as they quietly watched whatever wasn't boring. Another hour went by as they zoned out to the TV when the doorbell rang, Kai and Tala looked at each other but neither bothered to get up. It rang again, and before it did a third time Natasha answered it as she gave her lazy sons the stink eye.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked, her icy-blue eyes meeting golden ones.

"Sorry to bother you, but is Kai home?" Ray asked and Natasha looked over shoulder, seeing Kai's eyes wide from shock as he sunk down into the couch more to try and hide behind it. Tala's eyes were dancing back and forth between him and the door with a sly smile on his lips.

"He is, Kai door's for you." Natasha sang out, leaving it open and Kai groaned before he sat up.

"Hey Kai." Ray said, still standing outside the door as he waved a little.

Kai put his hand up in a half wave, pushing himself up as he ignored Tala's suggestive eyebrow wiggle at him, shutting the door behind him as he stepped out onto the porch with Ray.

"The guys got your work from your classes and gave them to me to give to you." Ray said quickly, digging into his backpack for a stack of papers, handing them over to Kai.

"Thanks…" Kai mumbled, taking the papers and tucking them under his arm.

"Missed my running buddy today, where were you?" Ray asked as he pushed on Kai's arm in a friendly manner, his smile almost as bright as the sun.

"Wasn't feeling that good, so I stayed home." Kai lied and Ray eyed him.

"Must have been bad, since you're in the clothes you wore yesterday." Ray said with a smirk and Kai felt his face flush, cursing himself for not having changed earlier.

"Yeah…"

"Well, what're you doing this weekend? The guys were wanting to meet up at Tyson's place for a sleepover tomorrow night." Ray said, looking hopeful.

"I can't, we have this… Family thing we're doing…" He said uneasily, not really one for lying since he hated it.

The hope and excitement in Ray's eyes died a little, and he shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, well that's all I wanted so I'll see you later. And don't forget, you owe me." He said in a joking manner, spinning on his heel to head to his own home.

"Owe you?" Kai asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah, did you forget?" Ray asked, coming to stop on the first step of the stairs. "You're supposed to help me with chemistry, god knows I need all the help I can get before I fail that class."

"Oh… I can see about Sunday?"

"Okay, just call me and let me know." Ray said as he waved good-bye to him again, continuing on his way to his home and Kai watched him go before he slipped back into his own home.

"Who was that?" Tala asked with a sloppy grin on his face.

"Nobody." Kai bit back.

"Ohhh c'mon tell me!" Tala whined out, seeing the blush on his brother's face.

"Knock it off, he's just a friend from school." Kai snapped back at him, going to his room.

"WAIT! Did you just say FRIEND?! YOU MADE A FRIEND!?" Tala asked out loudly, practically gushing on the couch.

Kai's back tensed, he hadn't meant to say that. "N-no! That's not what I meant, we just go to school together!" Kai barked back as he spun around to glare at his brother, his blush intensifying.

"Ohhhh, you like him, don't you?" Tala asked, wiggling his brows again.

"Tch, I hardly know him."

Tala shrugged his shoulders at him, "So? I hardly knew Bryan before we started dating, that's how it works Skittles."

"He has a girlfriend!" Kai snapped back and the joyful look Tala had was swept away like the snap of a finger.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, 'oh'. Just drop, it will you?" Kai asked rolling his eyes as he turned back towards the hallway, stomping down it to his room where he slammed the door behind him.

Tala sat there on the loveseat in silence, the TV playing to his left forgotten now as he slumped down against it again. He felt bad for his little brother, he had never really seen him blush like that, even from embarrassment and he felt bad for having teased him, but he wasn't about to go and apologize for it either. Kai was a big boy now, he could handle a few harmless taunts and jabs from him; he'd been dealing with it for four years now after all.

Natasha poked her head out from around the kitchen doorway, "So, who was that?" She asked, her icy-blue eyes looking just as mischievous as her sons.

"Just a kid in Skittles school, think he likes him but he's got a girlfriend." Tala answered dully.

"Oh… Well I don't think I want him dating for a while anyways, not after what he was put through the last time." She said and Tala nodded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Can't protect him all the time Ma."

"I know that, but still… You're both my lil boys, and I just want to make sure you're both safe." She said as she looked to her son fondly.

"Thanks Ma." Tala said, smiling at her as she smiled back before ducking back into the kitchen to make dinner.


	5. Morning Runs and Coffee Dates

**So, since I'll be dive bombing into certain hell here come Tuesday I figured hey why not update until the game gets here? I'll have another update come Monday and Tuesday when I should be getting my game and then it's just a waiting game until I get out of it all.  
**

 **Just a very quick heads up, this is important.**

 **For this story I wrote out an outline for it and through everything I had outlined I realized that we are going to be getting into a lot of heavy topics. I know that when I started this it was listed as Humor and Romance, now while there maybe some humor parts to it it's really not centered around humor as it's not something I write very well. So, I changed the genre to this, even though it will still have bits of humor in it but it will also be more focused on the darker side of things. I understand that not everyone enjoys things like that, back out now if you feel that you have to, happy endings are always what I write though cus who doesn't like drama and angst before some love? (Ignore Phoenix Falling.)**

 **The rating will stay T since I don't have plans on going into great detail about what's going on, but there will be mentions of abuse in all forms. There will be homophobic slurs and other harsh things that our boys will go through to get to their happy ending.**

 **Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on this instead of just tossing you into something you weren't expecting based on what genre's I had picked out for it.**

 **Either way enjoy, you still have some time (ch 7) until we get to the nitty and gritty of everything.**

* * *

Ch 5- Morning Runs and Coffee Dates

Kai was awakened to a soft tapping on his window that sat over the side of his bed and he groaned in protest, burying his face more into his pillow to try and block out the noise. The tapping only getting worse and he shot up in a huff, moving aside his curtains he had hung up just before he had gone to bed, pulling his blinds open to see Ray standing on the stairs to the porch where his face barely reached over the window sill and Kai arched a brow at him as he unlocked his window and pushed it open.

He was met with the mornings cold air, the sun was already bringing a brighter day with it, but the street lamps were still on and there were still some stars out in the sky. Kai gave Ray a quick look over, he was wearing a light jacket and white basket ball shorts with black stripes on the sides and running shoes.

"Do you know what time it is?" Kai groaned out, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Four thirty." Ray answered with a smile, one that Kai thought he shouldn't be wearing at such an ungodly hour.

"And you thought to wake me up, why?" Kai asked as he shook his head at him, trying to stay awake long enough to find out what he wanted.

"I was gonna go run, wanted to see if you'd like to come. Since you didn't get to yesterday at school." Ray answered, that same stupid smile on his face.

"At four thirty in the morning?" Kai asked, giving Ray a disbelieving look. "And how did you even know this was my window? What would you have done if you tapped on my parents window?" Kai asked with a groan and Ray's smile widened for some odd reason.

"I tapped on your brothers first by accident, he told me to come to the front." He said with a slight laugh. "And I always go running on Saturday's." Ray said with a cheeky grin now. "I'll buy you a coffee on our way back."

As tempting as it sounded Kai was grounded from leaving the house aside from going to school, but he didn't want to explain to Ray what he had done if he told him that. He was a little lost, Tala could have told Ray for him that he was grounded and had come up with a stupid excuse, but of course his brother had to fail him and send Ray his way instead.

"Why don't you go back to bed like a normal teenager and sleep until the afternoon?" Kai asked as he leaned his elbows over his window sill, resting his chin in the cushion they had made.

"And let my good looks go to shit? No thank you." Ray laughed out, "Hurry up before it gets later or we'll have to wait an hour just to get a coffee." He said, practically bouncing on his toes as he started to look impatient.

Kai went to speak when two hands came down on his shoulders and he bit back a yell of surprise, Tala leaning over his shoulder with his wolfish grin plastered on his face; knowing full well he just took three lives off of his brother. Ray hid behind his hand to cover his laugh as he watched Kai's look of surprise change to a hardened glare at the red-head.

"Go on, I'll cover for you." Tala whispered into Kai's ear, keeping his hands on his shoulders and winked at Ray. "He'll be right there." He said and Ray smiled and winked back at him.

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" Kai asked as he held his index finger up at Ray before slamming his window down and turning to his brother harshly. "Have you lost your damn mind?! You gave me a heart attack!" He whispered out in a yell, making sure not to wake their parents just down the hall.

Tala bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at him, Kai's face was priceless. "Well you're not dead, so I suggest you get your ass outta that bed and go chase that fine ass while you have the chance." Tala said with a nod towards the window.

"What part of he has a girlfriend didn't you get?" Kai asked in the same whispered yell he used before, wanting to strangle his brother until he turned blue in the face.

"Girlfriend, not wife, and I didn't say you had to screw his brains out right after running with him." Tala said with a roll of his eyes and Kai just stared at him in disbelief for a moment, his sleep riddled brain having troubles catching up to what he had said to him.

"God you're insufferable to live with." Kai groaned out, running a hand through his bangs.

"Thank you." Tala said with his wolfish grin, showing off his perfect teeth. "Now are you gonna go or not?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kai went quiet, weighing the pros and cons of disobeying Natasha and finally pushed himself off the bed to head for his closet. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered out to himself, pulling a light gray and black jacket off a hanger.

Tala watched him with a smirk, going over to the window, having to kneel on Kai's bed to reach it, and lifted the window back up and poked his head out. "He'll be right with ya." He told Ray with a smile, who had still been standing outside waiting for him.

"Thanks." Ray smiled back at him.

Tala shut the window again, making himself comfortable on Kai's bed as he went around and changed into some running clothes. Tala smiling wider as he realized that Kai had just undressed not only in front of him but Ray as well since he hadn't closed the blinds or curtains, and he only hoped the other boy had liked the show.

When Kai stood from tying his sneakers his eyes widened and he looked between the window and his brother as it clicked, and his face turned all different shades of red.

"The fuck?!" He mouthed out, motioning towards the window and Tala looked over his shoulder and shrugged.

"What?" He mouthed back.

Kai smacked himself in the forehead, "I'm going to kill you." He mouthed as he walked back towards the window, shoving his brother over in order to use his bed as leverage to climb through it as he threw it open.

Ray watched him come out, not daring to say a word of what he had seen as he stepped off the stairs of the porch to give Kai room to join him outside in the cold morning air.

"Alright now, you two kids have fun." Tala said as he poked his head back out the window with his stupid signature grin on his face as he closed the window and locked it, just in case his brother got cold feet and decided to try and change his mind.

With his face still red Kai turned to Ray who acted like he couldn't do anything else but smile at him, Kai having to swallow the lump that had formed inside his throat before he could speak.

"Where-." He coughed a little, trying to get rid of the blockage. "Where'd you want to run to?"

"Just follow me, you'll see." Ray said, turning on his heel and going towards the direction of his home on the sidewalk.

Kai didn't say anything, zipping up his jacket to his chest as he started to follow after him in a light jog. Ray going from walking to jogging in step beside him, taking off past his home towards the stop sign that was four more houses down the street. Neither spoke a word, just enjoying the others quiet company and the cool air that grazed their faces and whipped their hair against their faces. As the reached the stop sign Ray directed them towards the right side of the road, having to cross the empty street and they took off down the sidewalk side-by-side.

After coming to another stop sign they kept going straight until the third stop sign, having to cross the street again to the left this time and went past two more stop signs until they came out to the main road. With how early it was and the fact that it was a Saturday morning the road wasn't that busy, only a few cars were out driving past them as they continued down the sidewalk.

Kai couldn't remember if he had ever been this way before, none of it looked familiar but it wasn't like he really ever paid attention to what was around him all the time.

They came up to an intersection, having to stop and press the crosswalk button on the metal pole where they had time to catch their breath. The insides of their throats already dry from having inhaled the cold air, and beads of sweat were already rolling down their foreheads and the backs of their necks. The crosswalk sigh lit up with the white Walking Man and Ray motioned for Kai to follow him, taking up the same light jog they had been doing the entire time as they crossed the road together.

As they kept going down the road they started to pass small businesses along either side of the roads, and more cars appeared on the road the further they got down to another intersection. This time instead of going straight again they were going to go across the road, Ray pushing the corresponding button for the crosswalk and they waited again for it to light up. This time it took a little bit longer, and the silence they had been in broke as Ray turned to his running partner.

"Your brother seems cool." He said and Kai had to keep from rolling his eyes.

"He's alright." He said dully.

"How old is he?" Ray asked with a deep inhale, his lungs burning.

"Eighteen."

Ray nodded for some unknown reason. "Only sibling?" He asked with a quirked brow.

"Yeah…" Kai answered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Ah, I'm an only child. Sometimes I hate it, other times I don't mind the quiet." He laughed a little.

Kai went to ask his own questions but the light had turned on and he shut his mouth closed, following Ray across the road. On their right they passed a gas station, a bank to their left as they continued down the new road. The silence coming back over them, but neither seemed to mind it since they were about breathless from having run about a mile already.

Ray directed them around to the left as they reached the end of the road, slowing down his pace into a walk and Kai followed in step beside him. To their left was another parking lot full of small businesses, some cars already parked and Ray led them into the parking lot towards the building that the little coffee shop sat in.

There wasn't much of a line yet and they were thankful for that, desperately needing something to warm them up and quench their thirst and dry throats.

"What do you want?" Ray asked as they joined the line of five other early birds.

"Just a black coffee, large." Kai answered, shedding his jacket since he was overheating in it now and more so as the heater has been kicked up in the little café. Tying it around his waist, peeling the front of his shirt off his skin that had gotten stuck to his chest from sweat.

Ray nodded, doing the same with his jacket as they moved up the line as more customers filed behind them, Kai trying to keep his eyes from looking over his bare sculpted arms since Ray had been wearing a tank top under his jacket. They fell into another silence as they waited until they reached the cashier, Ray giving the man behind the counter their orders and moved off to the side for their drinks, Ray having gotten a chocolate frappé.

It didn't take long for a young girl to bring them their drinks, Ray scoping out an empty booth at the back corner from the counter and quickly snatched it up. Kai taking the back booth where he could see the door, Ray sitting in front of him as he was already downing his drink.

"You do this every Saturday you said?" Kai asked as he sipped at his own drink.

"Yup." Ray answered, setting his cup down. "Up until season starts that is, I get enough work out during practice."

"What made you join the track team?" Kai asked.

"Lee was in it when he started high school, so I just joined with him when I started." Ray said with a shrug, "Wasn't really something I wanted to do pers se, but it keeps me busy."

"Why don't you do something else then?" Kai asked with a quirked brow, his lips resting over the rim of his cup.

"Because I'm pretty damn good at it, so there isn't a reason to." Ray said as he shrugged his shoulders again, taking another drink through his straw and Kai found himself swallowing hard as he watched him. "Have you ever done any after school sports or clubs?" Ray asked as he sat back into the booth.

"No, never had the time or desire to do them. Not really my thing." Kai answered as he too rested a bit more into his booth.

"Why did you move?" Ray asked as he held Kai's with his own.

"My dad was given a better position at his work, so we moved." Kai answered plainly.

Ray nodded again, playing with his straw as he kicked his feet up on the booth as he leant his back against the wall. "My uncle runs the pizza shop down the road from here."

"Uncle?" Kai asked, remembering that Tyson had mentioned Ray's uncle before owning a pizza place.

"Yeah, I live with him." Ray answered and a sadness came over his eyes and Kai felt his heart stop a little, not caring to see him look so down all of a sudden.

"How come? If you don't mind me asking…" Kai asked carefully, not wanting to upset him more.

"Well my dad left my mother when she was pregnant with me, and then she died when I was four. My uncle was the only family I had, so he took me in." Ray answered as he continued to play and focus on his straw.

"I'm sorry…"

"Nah, don't be. I didn't tell you to feel bad for me or anything." Ray said as he flicked his wrist at Kai's words. "My uncles been good to me, so it's alright." He said, but something in his eyes said differently.

Kai nodded, sipping at his coffee and he found his eyes shifting towards the doors as the opened and his heart sunk to his toes as he watched his ex stepping inside and lining up.

"Fuck." Kai cursed under his breath, slipping lower in his seat.

Ray arched his brows at him, "What's wrong?"

"Just get down…" Kai whispered harshly to him, dragging him down under the table with him.

Ray went to speak and Kai covered his mouth with his hand, keeping his eyes locked onto his ex's feet as they shuffled around the line. Kai's heart was pounding into his chest, another sweat coming over his back as he could feel Ray tense up beside him but he didn't try to speak again. After what felt like an agonizing hour, his ex finally left the café and Kai let out a deep breath as his body relaxed and his heart started to beat at a normal pace and he removed his hand from Ray's mouth.

"What was that about?" Ray asked as he pushed himself back onto the booth, looking around them.

"Um…" Kai stuttered, his brain overworking as he tried to think of what to tell him as Ray looked at him expectantly. "I'm actually grounded right now… I'm not supposed to be out of the house and my mom came walking in." Kai mumbled around his lie as he grabbed his cup, running his fingers along it nervously as he couldn't look up at him.

"Oh shit no way!" Ray shouted, his own eyes going wide. "Well c'mon we better get you home." He said in a rush, grabbing up his drink from the table as Kai sat there, knowing full well that if they went back his foster parents would still be asleep with how early it still was.

"It's alright… She's probably running errands and won't even notice." Kai mumbled again.

"Are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble." Ray said uneasily as he slid back into the booth.

"Yeah, finish your drink and then we'll go." Kai said as he picked up his own drink, taking his own advice.

Ray shrugged his shoulders at him, doing what he was told as another silence came over them. They finished their drinks and tossed their empty cups in the trash as they headed towards the doors and Kai's heart sank again as they stepped outside. His ex was leaning against the hood of his red car, a coffee in his hand and their eyes met and a twisted smile crossed his lips as he took in sight of Ray coming to stand beside Kai just outside the café's doors.

"We can go a different way back home if you want." Ray said as he started to untie his jacket from around his waist, not noticing Kai having tensed up beside him and when he didn't get a response he looked up at him and then towards the man he was having a staring contest with.

"Hello?" Ray said as he turned to the unknown man, already getting a bad feeling just by the way he looked back at him and it set in that he had seen him Thursday, when Kai had blown him off in coming over and left with him in his car.

He slipped his jacket on, keeping their eyes locked until he looked back to Kai. "C'mon." He said, tugging on Kai's arm to get his attention.

"Whose your friend, Kai?" His ex asked, his eyes back on Kai's as his smirk still sat on his fair lips and his words slithering out of his mouth.

"If you want to know my name then you should ask me." Ray spat out, moving to stand in front of Kai only to be stopped by Kai's arm coming out to stop him.

"Let's just go." Kai said to him, his eyes unmoving from his ex's as his heart beat against his chest and he grabbed Ray around the shoulders, leading them away from the café.

Ray looked back over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he saw the man staring back as they got further away from him. His own heart racing in his chest but he didn't know why, something with the way Kai had acted and practically frozen up at the sight of the man bothered him. Kai looked like the kind of guy that wasn't bothered by much and to see him falter, even just momentarily, it had scared him.

Once they got back on the sidewalk by the road Kai let his hands come from around Ray's shoulders, getting his own jacket back on as Ray kept walking beside him, his body on high alert for an unknown reason. They reached the main intersection, Ray pressing the button and turned to Kai with the question on the tip of his tongue.

"He's my ex." Kai said in a shaky breath before Ray had the chance to ask his question and Ray's eyes widened for a second, his mouth closing again.

"How old is he?" Ray asked and Kai was a bit surprised that was the question he had chosen to ask next.

"Nineteen…" Kai breathed out, not looking back at him as Ray's eyes were practically searing into him. "My brother met him his first year of high school, they were friends…" He explained vaguely.

Ray nodded, the two walking across the street as the light gave the go-ahead. This time the silence between them almost became suffocating and Ray happened to look over his shoulder to see if the man was following them or not, and he breathed a bit easier to see that he wasn't.

"What's his name?" Ray asked as they stepped onto the next sidewalk, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

"Brooklyn…" Kai answered, doing the same as Ray and put his hands in his pockets. His back was still tense, not wanting to answer anymore questions and praying that Ray wouldn't press for more information.

"How long did it last?" Ray asked and Kai exhaled through his nose.

"Almost two years… I broke up with him before I moved."

"Why?"

Kai came to a sudden stop, Ray having to do the same and turn around to look at him. "I don't want to do this right now Ray." Kai warned in a threatening tone, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"I'm sorry." Ray said ashamedly. "I won't pry anymore." He said, trying to loosen the tension that hung around them.

Kai nodded at him as he started walking again, coming in step with him again as the silence and tension loomed over them for the rest of the way home. Having forgone running back, neither really feeling like it now after everything and the happy mood they had been in was squashed like a bug.

As they reached their street Kai stopped again and Ray stopped to wait ahead of him again, giving him a questioning look.

"You're not bothered that I'm…" Kai's words fell flat, unsure how he was meant to ask that question and hoped Ray would get what he was trying to say.

Ray cocked his head a little at him, "Why would I care?" He asked, looking dumbfounded.

Kai's back tensed again, having just wanted a yes or no answer but got a question for an answer and he hung his head, hiding behind his bangs his hands balling up into fists inside the pockets of his jacket as he ground his teeth.

"It's not really a thing that's accepted widely…" He ground out.

"Oh… Well no, I don't care Kai. You're still you." Ray said with sincerity as he looked to him with a small smile. "I kinda had a feeling you were anyways, but I wasn't sure and I didn't want to assume anything."

Kai smirked a little at that, "Just don't tell anyone." He said as he looked up through his bangs.

"Of course not, it's not my place to do that." Ray said and then pretended to zip his lips closed. "Now lets get you home you criminal." He joked, nodding his head in the directions of their homes.

Kai felt his smirk widen a little and he walked up beside him again, his back less tense as Ray led them down their street.

"You coulda told me you were grounded though." Ray said as he nudged Kai in the side a little with a laugh.

"Tala said he'd cover for me." Kai said back in a lighter tone, nudging Ray back playfully. "Guess you figured it out it wasn't my mom we were hiding from, huh?"

"Bingo." Ray said with a smirk. "How long they got you in the slammer for?" He asked as they neared their homes, having to cross the street.

"A week, no phone or computer. Can only go to school and come home, got off pretty easy." Kai explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Do I want to know what you did?" Ray asked as they came to a stop at the front of his house, already guessing it had something to do with Brooklyn.

"I wouldn't tell you, even if you asked." Kai said with his own smirk.

"Even if I said please?" Ray asked, batting his eyelashes at him and Kai chuckled.

"Even still."

"Well shit." Ray pretended to pout at him. "Guess I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah…" Kai said, not wanting to leave him just yet and it looked like Ray wasn't in any hurry to get inside his own home.

"How bout I come over in a little bit, once your folks wake up?"

"Um…" Kai said, his eyes widening slightly at the idea as his heart started to race in his chest again.

"They didn't say friends couldn't come over, did they?" Ray asked and he was right, Natasha hadn't said anything about that and Kai shook his head. "Okay then, I'll come over after I take a shower and we can do that chemistry bullshit." He said with a laugh and Kai nodded as his throat clammed up on him again, god he was an idiot sometimes.

"Cool, see you in a few hours then." Ray said as he waved at him, finally moving up the stairs of his front porch and Kai watched him go. They waved to each other, before Ray slipped into his house and shut the door behind him.

Kai's senses finally kicked back in before the panic settled and he rushed towards his own home, beating on his window frantically hoping that Tala was still in his room. A few minutes passed and the window opened, Tala's red head sticking out with a stupid smile on his face.

"Well hello Skittles, did you have fun?"

"Move and let me in!" Kai bit out, dancing in place like he had to pee.

"Alright, alright." Tala huffed, rolling his eyes as he moved away from the window, Kai hoisting himself through it and falling and then rolling off his bed onto the floor of his bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Tala asked as Kai jumped to his feet and spun around, looking panicked.

"He's coming over in a few hours." Kai yelled out in a whisper, not forgetting that his foster parents were still asleep since it was only six in the morning.

"Okay, so?" Tala asked, not getting where Kai was going.

"Are you deaf? He's coming over here!" Kai said, looking more panicked as his face turned red.

"I'm still not getting the issue, mom didn't ground you from friends."

Kai hit his face again, something he seemed to do often when talking with his brother. "I don't know what to do, I've never had anyone over before."

"Ohhhhhh…. What did he say he wanted to do?"

Kai seemed to freeze for a second, "School work…" He mumbled out.

Tala bit the inside of his cheek, trying not to laugh at him. "Okay, so do school work and hang out like a normal person. It's not rocket science and even if it was, you'd have no problem with it." Tala said dully as he pushed himself off his bed. "But, I'd take a shower and comb your hair first." He said as he pat Kai's shoulder, taking his leave and shutting the door behind him.

Kai cringed as he remembered he hadn't even brushed his hair before he went for his run, and his embarrassment shot up to a new level as he went and grabbed his pillow, screaming into it.


	6. Meeting the Parents

**So, my bad my game actually got here yesterday and I didn't update for you all I'm really sorry. This will be the last update then until I finish the game and at this pace it may take me a while.  
**

 **Anyways, this is actually one of my favorite chapters for this fic, I really dunno why but it's more of the calm before the storm if you will. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do.**

 **Once again I used google translate for the Chinese so I apologize for the inaccuracies.**

* * *

Ch 6- Meeting the Parents

Kai had taken Tala's advice, showering and combing his hair while also brushing his teeth to get the coffee smell off his breath all the while his nerves were trying to work against him. When he had finally come out of the bathroom, having fought with his hair in trying to figure out what he wanted to do with it, opting in just leaving it hanging around his face and shoulders, Natasha and Micah had woken up and greeted him as they passed by him down the hall, never the wiser to where he had been three hours ago.

He slammed his door behind him, making sure to close his blinds and curtains this time, as he went about trying to find something to wear. Nothing seemed to be good enough and he had ended up making a mess of his once clean room, finally settling on a pair of plain blue jeans and a large band T-shirt that was a size too big for him, almost swallowing him whole. Once he was finally dressed he just shoved his other clothes back into his closet, shutting the door on the mess he had made and making a mental note to take care of it later.

He went to the kitchen, Saturdays were a free for all, so he decided on getting some cereal and took his bowl to the table where Micah was sitting with a newspaper opened and his face stuck in it as Natasha wandered around the kitchen almost mindlessly until she came and sat down with a plate of toast.

"Um… Ma?" Kai called for her attention and she looked up at him, her toast hanging in her mouth. "Can I have a friend over? To do school work?" He said quickly, adding in the last part.

Micah sat his newspaper down on the table as Natasha pulled her half eaten toast out of her mouth, looking at each other then back to Kai and he felt himself shrink in on himself from the looks they were giving him.

"Um… Well sure… I mean if it's to do school work and all…" Natasha finally answered his question, one that he had never asked once in all the four years they had him in their care.

"How is he getting here though, and what time?" Micah asked.

"He lives next door… He asked to come over yesterday when he brought my schoolwork over." Kai explained quietly.

Natasha and Micah shared another look, their lips upturning into smiles. Their little hermit crab was finally coming out of his shell.

"Sure, he can come over Kai." Natasha said with the smile permanently on her lips.

Kai smiled back at them before going back to finishing his cereal quickly, taking his bowl to the sink and rinsing it out before he headed into the living room and out the door to go get Ray. As he stepped up the stairs to the front porch his nerves started to act up on him again and he froze in front of the door, hand halfway raised to knock but couldn't find it within him to do so.

Taking in a deep breath he finally knocked, taking a step back from the door and waited. He could faintly hear angry voices shouting in a language he couldn't real place a finger on through the closed door until it opened, a short round man with the same dark purple Ray had opening the door and he gave Kai a quick look over with a hardened frown.

"Yes?" The man asked, looking unimpressed.

"I came to get Ray…" Kai answered, not liking how the man was staring at him so harshly.

"Shèxiàn? (Ray)" The man called out angrily over his shoulder.

"Shì a? (Yeah)" Came the reply from the back of the house.

"Shuí de péngkè zhàn zài wǒ de qián láng?! (Whose this punk standing on my front porch)" Kai shifted again, not liking the idea of not knowing what the man was saying.

Finally Ray's head poked out of one of the doors on the right at the back of the house, his frown turning into a smile as he saw Kai past his uncle and he stepped out of the room, a towel around his waist and his long hair undone with no bindings as he dripped water on the hardwood floor.

"Hey Kai, you're early. I'll be there in a minute." He said to him and then turned his attention on his uncle. "Tuìchū shì cūlǔ de ràng tā jìnlái, tā shì yīgè péngyǒu. (Quit being rude and let him in, he's a friend.)" Ray said in the same unknown language to his uncle, looking at him crossly.

The man turned back to Kai with the same look of disgust on his face, stepping aside letting Kai inside the house and slammed the door behind him. Ray had already turned on his heel and went off to the back door down the small hallway and had shut the door on them.

"What's your name?" The man asked, circling Kai like a shark as he looked him over.

"Kai…" He answered, not liking the staring as he followed the man with his eyes.

"Where you live boy?" The man asked, coming to stand in front of him with his hands on his bulging hips.

"Just next door, we moved in a week ago." Kai answered, willing everything within him not to lash out at the man for being rude for no reason.

The man nodded a little and went to speak when Ray came out of the backroom dressed, tying up his long hair in a hair tie as he made his way out into the living room.

"Nǐ zuòguò pánwèn tā? (You done interrogating him)" Ray asked as he put his own hands on his trimmed hips, having gone for another pair of gray shorts that reached below his knees and a white shirt that clung to his torso like a second skin with a blacked out star on the front of it, his hair falling around his back and shoulders.

"Nǐ yǒu jiāwù yào zuò. (You have chores to do)" His uncle responded looking at him with the same hardened glare he had been giving Kai.

"Wǒ huílái de shíhòu huì zuò de. (I'll do them when I get back)" Ray said as he flicked his wrist at his uncle, stepping past him to Kai and taking his arm in a light hold that sent a shock through Kai's body. "C'mon lets go." He said, pulling him towards the front door as he waved over his shoulder at his uncle.

Kai would have said it was a pleasure meeting the man but since it wasn't he didn't say anything as he let Ray drag him out of the house, closing the door behind them.

"Sorry about that, he's kind of a dick sometimes." Ray said as they made it down the front stairs, his hand still around Kai's arm.

"It's fine, I've had worse." Kai said, trying to keep from blushing like the idiot he was. "You didn't bring anything with you." He said as his brain finally caught back up to him as they reached his front porch.

"Whoops." Ray said with a chuckle, obviously not caring. "You got your stuff, right?" He asked and Kai nodded, "That's all we need then." Ray said with a smile, finally letting Kai's arm go so he could open the door for them.

Thankfully his foster parents weren't in the living room waiting for him and he quickly pushed on Ray's back to get him moving to his room so they could get away before the onslaught of awkward questions and fondling over Ray happened. They had about made it to his door when Natasha called out for him from the kitchen and he groaned out and turned Ray around taking him back through the living room to the kitchen where they stood side by side in the doorway.

"Are you going to introduce us?" Natasha asked, her icy-blue eyes practically beaming with a smile on her face.

"This is Ray…" He stopped, not knowing his last name.

"Kon." Ray finished for him, his own smile on his lips. "I live next door; Kai and I have a few classes together at school. Thank you for letting me come over, beautiful house." He rambled off and Kai looked at him with a raised brow, he seemed like a natural when it came to these things.

"Oh thank you dear, I'm Natasha and this is my husband Micah." She introduced and Micah gave Ray a friendly half smile, ducking behind his newspaper again. "Just make yourself at home, okay?"

"Thank you very much." Ray said and bowed to her which caught them all off guard, Natasha only able to just smile back at him.

Since that was done and it wasn't as painful as Kai had thought it would be he steered Ray back around to his room, passing Tala coming down the hall and he winked at Ray who winked back at him as a chuckle passed his lips; he liked Kai's family.

Kai shut the door to his room behind them, feeling like he could finally breathe a bit easier now as he watched Ray look around his room. Hopefully he liked it.

"Nice room." He said, having eyed everything carefully without looking too into checking everything out. "I like that band to." He said as he pointed out Kai's Starset poster hanging above his bed.

Kai smirked a little, not many people new the band. "What's your favorite song?" He asked, going over to his portable speaker and put his music player in the dock.

"That's a tough one." Ray laughed a little, "What you got?"

"All of em." Kai said, going to the bands file and just hit play, Monster coming out through the speaker.

"Nice." Ray said in an approving smile as he made himself comfortable on the leather couch by the door, "Alright, lets get this done and over with." He sighed and Kai held back a laugh as he grabbed his backpack from beside his desk, pulling his school work from it as he sat on the floor in front of Ray.

Ray slid off the couch to sit on the floor with him, the two becoming engrossed in the work as Kai taught him all he knew about chemistry and an easier way to do the equations he had troubles with. The two having become lost in their own world, not realizing the they had gone through half of Starset's first album and a good hour had passed them when Natasha poked her head into the room.

"Hey, Micah and I are heading out for a little bit. You two going to be alright on your own?"

"Where's Tala?" Kai asked, not liking the idea of being home alone with Ray.

"Bryan came and picked him up a little bit ago." Natasha said, sensing Kai's panic. "If your parents are okay with it, you can come with us… We're just running to the store to get dinner and you're more than welcome to join us." She said as she met Ray's eyes.

"Shouldn't be a problem and thank you, I'd like that." Ray said with a warm smile at the offer, a little bit excited to go out with them like a big family.

"Okay, then get your shoes on Kai." She said with a soft laugh.

Kai pushed himself off the ground, going to his closet and opened it where his clothes from earlier spilled out over his feet and he felt his face burn. He kicked them back in, quickly plucking his boots out from under the mess before shutting the door again. Before they followed Natasha out of his room he shut his music player off, grabbing his wallet off his nightstand.

The four piled into Micah's truck and they took off down the road, Natasha and Micah discussing what they were going to get at the store while Kai and Ray sat in the back in silence. Ray pulled his cellphone out, his fingers dancing over the screen as he was sending out texts left and right. Kai watched him from the corner of his eyes, only catching a few words here and there but he had seen a text from Tyson and Lee as well as Mariah.

"What time do you normally eat dinner?" Ray asked, his fingers hovering over his phone.

"Five or six." Natasha answered over her shoulder, "Is that alright?"

"Yeah, just letting our friend Tyson know since I'm supposed to go over to his place tonight. He can pick me up afterwards though." Ray said, typing away again on his phone. "Would it be alright it Kai came?" Ray asked, looking up from his phone again and Kai sunk into his chair; why would Ray ask that when he knew he was grounded?

Natasha and Micah looked at each other for a moment, Natasha exhaling heavily. "I'm not sure if Kai told you, but he's actually grounded right now."

"Oh, no he didn't mention it." Ray lied right through his teeth, looking as innocent as possible.

Natasha huffed again, knowing that Kai probably didn't tell him since he liked his privacy. "I guess we can let him go, just this once though." She said, hoping to keep breaking away Kai's shell and walls down if he already had more friends than just Ray.

"Thank you." Ray said excitedly beaming, a sly smirk crossing his lips as he looked at Kai quickly before ducking his head back down as he typed away furiously on his phone. "Is seven a good time for them to get us?"

"That'll work honey." Natasha answered.

Kai looked between his foster mother and Ray, wondering what the hell had just happened but he wasn't fixing to question it. The only issue he had was that he was now going over to another person's house, and it made him uncomfortable since he had never been to a sleepover before.

Ray tucked his phone back into his pocket as Micah pulled into a parking space of the Walmart parking lot, everyone getting out at the same time and Ray walked around the back of the truck to walk beside Kai, letting the adults go ahead of them.

"You sneak." Kai said with a smirk once he knew his foster parents were far enough they couldn't hear him.

"You're welcome." Ray said as he nudged Kai in the side with his own smirk on his lips.

The two fell in step behind his parents until the reached inside the store, Natasha handing Kai his phone so she could call them when they were done and sent them off to wander the store by themselves. Kai and Ray meandered towards the electronics first, not really sure what to do with their time.

"I meant to ask…" Kai said as he stood behind Ray who was scanning the games behind the glass doors, Ray made a noise to let him know he was listening. "What language was that you were speaking back at your house?"

"Chinese." Ray answered as he moved down the aisle, eyes still roaming over the different titles.

"You're Chinese?" Kai asked, eyes wide.

"Yup." Ray answered, putting his hands in his pockets as he turned to face him. "Don't look it much, do I?" Ray asked with a sloppy grin on his face.

"I mean… Now that you mention it you kind of do…" Kai said as he looked him over.

Ray's grin got bigger, pulling a hand out of his pocket as he put it under his chin and shifted on his feet as he looked to be in thought as his gold eyes looked over Kai.

"Mmmm… You're German?" He asked and Kai almost choked on his spit.

"Try again."

"French? Ray tried again and Kai shook his head.

"Réessayer. (Try again)" Kai said, smirking at him as Ray gave him a confused look. "I can speak it, but I'm not French." He explained.

"Scottish?" Ray asked and Kai shook his head no again.

"Try a lil higher up, we're neighbors in more ways than one." Kai said, trying not to smile like a dumbass at how cute Ray was looking right now trying to figure out his ethnicity.

Ray's eyes widened a little, his mouth gaping open. "Nah uh, you're Russian?!" Ray asked, his voice a little higher pitched than normal.

"Half." Kai answered back, his smirk getting bigger at the look Ray was giving him. "It's a long story, but I'm part Russian and Japanese."

"Tyson's Japanese." Ray said as if it was the only thing he could say. "Max is part Japanese too, mixed in with American."

Kai just kind of blinked at him, wasn't the information he really needed but now he had it.

"Guess that explains your last name." Ray mused off. "I like it." He declared and Kai felt his face heating up, wondering why this beautiful idiot had to fall into his life when he couldn't reach out and touch him.

Kai fell silent as Ray spun back around to check out the games again, Kai trying to avoid looking at his ass and he stepped up beside him as the next best alternative. They fell into a conversation about what games they played and what they were excited for to come out next, moving along once they were bored to the music section.

"Ever heard of these guys?" Ray asked, plucking out a CD from the shelf and held it up for Kai to read.

"No." Kai said as he read the bands name 'The Veer Union'.

"Oh, they're pretty good. You'd like em." Ray said, taking the CD up in his hand and started for the checkout.

Kai followed behind him quietly, not sure what he was up to next and was taken back when Ray handed the shopping bag out for him with the CD inside it.

"Happy birthday." Ray said with a laugh.

"It's not my birthday." Kai said dryly, looking between the bag and Ray.

"Happy unbirthday?" Ray tried again, pushing the bag towards Kai again until he took it.

"You didn't have to…" Kai said as he took the bag into his hand.

"My birthday is on the sixteenth, so just get me something good." Ray said as if it was no big deal, walking past him before Kai could protest anything to him and followed after him quietly.

By the time they had bored themselves through the shoes Natasha had called Kai's phone and they went back to the front to regroup with his parents, Natasha and Micah eyed the bag in his hand but didn't say anything as they left the inside of the store. When they got to the truck the boys helped them load the bed up, Kai pushing up the tailgate and the sound of girls giggling as they walked behind him caught his ears and Ray looked towards the two, recognizing them from school and he waved at them as they waved back while huddling closer and giggling harder.

"Think they were checking you out." Ray said with a coy smirk and Kai rolled his eyes.

"Or maybe they're envious of that hair of yours." Kai said back in a snippy tone. "Why do you have it so long anyways?"

"To make girls envious." Ray said as he threw it around behind him, his fingers running through his long tresses easily. "You got some long hair too, when you don't style it." He said and Kai fought down the lump in his throat. "I like it." He said and Kai about died right there.

"…Thanks…" He mumbled, going back to the side of the truck so he could get inside and die away in peace. Putting the bag his CD was in on the middle seat between them.

Ray climbed back in behind Natasha, his smirk on his lips knowing full well what he was doing but why he wasn't sure. He wasn't blind, he had seen Kai looking at him and the way his face would turn colors whenever they talked and he complimented him. It was kind of cute really, and it made him feel like he had a power that he suspected not many people had over him.

When they got home they helped unload the groceries going into a silent competition of who could carry the most bags at once, both of them carrying the same amount until Kai remembered his CD in the cab of the truck and pulled it out, straining his arms, as he held the smaller bag by the end of his finger with a victorious smirk.

"That's cheating." Ray pouted at him, his own arms straining from all the weight hanging off of them.

Kai kept his smirk as he led him back into the house, the two letting out a huff as they dropped their bags inside the kitchen and shook their arms out.

"Thank you boys, I'll call you when dinner is ready." Natasha said as she and Micah started putting the groceries away, the boys leaving them to it as they wandered back to Kai's room.

Kai sat his CD on his desk before he sat back down on the floor, Ray already waiting for him, and they went back to doing school work until Natasha called for them a few hours later; Ray getting a better idea at how to go about his chemistry problem.

Natasha and Micah allowed them to eat in the living room and they sat beside each other on the couch that faced the TV, with two trays sitting in front of them as they zoned out to Ghost Adventures. Just as the show was ending Ray's phone started to ring and he answered it after checking the caller ID, seeing that it was Tyson on the other end.

"Yeah we'll be outside waiting for you." He said before he hung up and turned to Kai. "They're on their way." He announced and Kai nodded as he pushed away his TV tray and took up his and Ray's empty plates, Ray getting up and putting the trays back from where they had gotten them before following after Kai into the kitchen.

"Tyson's on his way over to get us, if that's alright." He said turning to Natasha and Micah at the dining table.

"Okay honey, thank you for letting us know." She smiled at him.

"Thank you for dinner Mrs. Hiwatari, it was really good." He said and her face fell a little as did Kai's, he hadn't told him they didn't share the same last name.

"I'm glad you liked it hun." She said, deciding to avoid the elephant in the room. "Kai, make sure you pack some extra clothes." She said and he nodded from where he was washing the plates in the sink.

Ray followed him back to his room, taking a seat on the couch against the wall by the door as he watched Kai go around stuffing a duffle bag with some clothes from his pile on the floor of his closet, coming back from the bathroom with his toothbrush and toothpaste and snatched his music player out of it's dock and wrapped the earbuds around it before setting it on top of everything else.

"Shouldn't need a pillow or blankets, Tyson has plenty." Ray said as he caught Kai staring at his on the bed. "You ready then?" He asked as he pushed himself off the couch, Kai zipping up his bag and pulled it over his shoulder.

"Bye guys, have fun and stay out of trouble!" Natasha called from the kitchen.

"Bye, thank you again!" Ray shouted back as he slipped out the front door before Kai.

"Bye Ma." Kai called over his shoulder, shutting the door behind him as a brown car pulled up on the side of the road, an old greying man driving as Tyson sat in the front seat and he could see Max's blonde hair over the back of the drivers seat.

He reached out and grabbed hold of Ray's shoulder, stopping him from climbing down the stairs. "Um… Her last name is Ivanov…" Kai said, unsure how to explain it to him without spilling everything else out to him.

"Well why didn't you tell me?! Now I look like an idiot." Ray shouted, looking horrified. He was an idiot, but at least he was a cute idiot Kai thought.

"It's not that big of a deal, just thought you should know."

"A little too late, I look like a fool now." Ray mumbled, not looking any better as he hung his head.

Kai went to say something to him when the old man honked the horn at them and Kai followed Ray to the car and slid in behind him, pulling his bag over his lap as he shut the door and that was when he noticed Ray hadn't gone back to his house to get anything for himself to stay the night over with.

"What up Ray my man, whose your friend there?" The old man asked, pulling the car away from the curb and turning around in the middle of the street.

"Kai, sir." Kai introduced himself.

"K-man it's nice to meet ya, you can call me gramps my home dog."

Kai arched a brow; the old man had a weird way with words. The others started up a conversation around him that he drowned out, watching out the window as they drove down the road as the streetlamps were flickering back on, his bottle of pills digging into his leg from inside his pocket.


	7. In the Scars We Hide

**So, that was a ride but now I'm back.  
As before this is when we get into the darker side of things for the time being, I promise there will be lighter topics to come around.  
** **With the darker topics we are diving into abuse, of all kinds, I do not go into great detail about these things or depict the scenes of what happens to them. It's more of just the mention of abuse and the aftermath of what the boys go through.**

 **For those of you who are sticking around, thank you. Always love to hear from you all and your thoughts on this. Hope you all enjoy this.**

* * *

Ch 7- In the Scars We Hide

When Tyson's grandfather pulled into the garage of their apartment the boys clambered out together, the doors shutting at the same time and the sound echoing around the stone walls, Kai following after Ray as he followed behind Max through the side door on their right that led them into Tyson's apartment. Kai had learned that like he and Ray, Max and Tyson were also next door neighbors.

"Have a good night my home dogs." Tyson's grandfather said as he waved to the boys while climbing the stairs that sat on the left of the front door and disappeared.

"Night gramps." Max, Tyson, and Ray shouted back to him and Tyson spun around on his heel, facing the others who had made a semi-circle behind him in the space between the kitchen and living room.

"Alright men, what're we doing tonight?" He asked with a childish grin that covered the width of his face, his brown eyes gleaming.

"What'd you have in mind?" Max asked, blinking back at him.

"Dammit I don't know, that's why I asked." Tyson in a groan, his excitement dying down a little. "Guess we could just veg out to movies and popcorn, you two already ate right?" He asked eyeing Kai and Ray who nodded, and suddenly Max's eyes widened as he turned to Ray on his left.

"Oh, I forgot to bring your bag over I'll go get it real quick." He said as he bolted out the front door and Kai blinked in confusion, not really sure why Max would have a bag for Ray but decided not to ask.

"Movies then?" Tyson asked once it was just the three of them.

"Sounds good Ty." Ray said as he followed the other boy towards the brown leather couches that sat around the TV and Kai followed quietly with his own bag still over his shoulder.

"You can put that in my room." Tyson said as Kai went to sit down, stopping and stood back up. "Upstairs, to the left first door you see."

Kai nodded, taking Tyson's directions and dumped his bag by the door in the messiest room he had ever seen and he cringed a little at the sight of it. He shut the door behind him to join the others downstairs, putting his pill bottle into his bag and zipping it closed before he had left it.

When he came back Max had come through the front door with a backpack in his hand, tossing it to Ray who caught it and left it by his feet as he was already glued to the couch and his eyes focused back to the TV to some show Kai had never seen before. He sat down beside Ray on the couch, Max joining Tyson on the loveseat that sat against the wall by the front door, kicking his feet up on Tyson's legs as he laid his head back on the armrest making himself comfortable.

"What is this?" Kai asked, eyes on the TV.

The other three turned and looked at him like he had three heads, Tyson's mouth falling open slightly in disbelief as Max blinked at him a few times and Ray's lips upturned into a slight smirk.

"You've never seen The Walking Dead?" Tyson broke the silence in a yell of surprise and Kai shook his head, he had heard of it but never bothered to watch it.

"Oh shit, I know what we're doing then." Tyson said as his mouth upturned into his signature broad smile. "Men, we're going to binge The Walking Dead until our eyes fall out of our heads." He said as he scrambled onto the floor in front of the entertainment center the TV was sat upon, turning his Xbox on and popping the first disc of The Walking dead into the slot and jumped back on the loveseat with Max, his controller in his hands.

"Give me a second, gonna step outside." Ray said as he stood, pulling his phone out of his back pocket as he slipped out the back door by the space of the dining room.

"I'll get the popcorn!" Max said as he pushed himself off of the loveseat, using Tyson's shoulder for leverage and bounded into the kitchen.

Tyson pulled up the DVD menu, setting his controller down on the coffee table that sat in front of him and went to help Max in the kitchen. Kai stayed on the couch, taking a quick look around at the pictures hanging on the white walls and the rest of the first floor. Most of the pictures were of Tyson and his grandfather on fishing trips and baseball games, others were some of an unknown man and woman holding a baby with another boy standing beside them with a sloppy smile on his face. It reminded him of his own home where Natasha had decked out their home with pictures of her family and Tala growing up, and then when he came around they put his picture up on the walls alongside theirs.

Tyson and Max had gotten two bags of popcorn finished, popping a third bag in the microwave when Ray came in through the back door and Kai noticed that he didn't really look the same as before, the light in his eyes had dulled and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He snatched up the two bags of finished popcorn from the island and carried them over to the couch, handing one to Kai and pulling his own bag open as he sat down. Kai wasn't sure if his sense of smell was working properly, but Ray smelt like smoke.

Tyson and Max joined them with a bag of their own and settled back onto the loveseat as Tyson hit play on the DVD, and they got more comfortable as the opening credits rolled up onto the screen. Kai decided not to openly question Ray about the smell that was coming off of him, pulling his bag open and deciding to focus on the TV.

By the time the first disc was over Kai was ready to claw his eyes out, his back was stiff from not having moved for hours and he wasn't even sure what time it was now. Max had fallen asleep halfway through the fourth or the fifth episode, Kai wasn't quite sure which one it was, but the blonde was knocked out cold sprawled across the loveseat, his legs still resting over Tyson's.

"Hey guys, watch this." Tyson said and plucked up a stale piece of popcorn and tossed it into Max's open mouth, the blonde's mouth closed and he chewed it up in his sleep causing the other two to snicker.

"Do you want me to put in the next disc?" Ray asked through a yawn.

"Nah, I don't think I'll be able to stay awake much longer." Tyson yawned back and Kai found himself fighting back his own yawn, the damn things were like a plague.

Tyson shook Max awake enough to get him upstairs, Kai following after him to get his bag and he took it to the bathroom to change into his sleeping clothes and took his two pills before he headed back downstairs with his bag, tossing it by the door. Ray had gone upstairs with them, helping himself to some blankets and pillows for him and Kai for the couches downstairs.

"See you guys in the morning." Tyson yawned again as he shut his bedroom door.

"Night Ty." Ray said, his arms full of sheets and two pillows.

He came back downstairs, Kai grabbing a glass of water at the sink in the kitchen, and he went to making up the couch and loveseat for them quietly. Once he was done he joined Kai in the kitchen and grabbed himself a glass, Kai moving away from the sink so he could fill it up with water and the two stood across from each other as they downed their drinks in silence.

"So, what'd you think of the show?" Ray asked, setting his empty glass down on the island beside him.

"It was alright…" Kai answered dully, it really wasn't his thing and it was terribly predictable. "Are… Are they?" He muttered, the question having been on his mind all night.

Ray looked at him for a minute until he got what Kai was trying to ask him and he had to hold back from laughing in his face. He was actually expecting Kai to ask him at some point, since everyone did.

"No, they're just close friends. They grew up with each other. Everyone asks, but Tyson has dated Hilary on and off since eighth grade and I think Max has a thing for Mariam. Besides, it wouldn't work between them. Tyson's a bit pig-headed sometimes and even though Max can handle him, I think it'd get on his nerves too much." Ray explained like it was second nature, Kai just nodding along since he was right. Tyson did seem pig-headed.

"Tala's been in an on again and off again relationship with his boyfriend too, it's exhausting."

"It is." Ray agreed.

"How… How long have you and Mariah?" Kai asked, not feeling it within him to finish his question.

Ray made himself comfortable against the counter, it looked like they'd be there a while now. "About a year now, we grew up with each other too. It's one of those childhood sweethearts clichéd thing." He said and Kai rose a brow at that, he didn't sound all that enthused about it. "It made her parents happy, Lee too. So." Ray said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Are you happy with it?" Kai found himself asking, Ray surely didn't look like he was.

Ray shrugged his shoulders again, "It kind of feels like I'm dating my sister, since we've known each other forever. I mean don't get me wrong, she's a nice person and all, but I don't know about it really. Not like I can break up with her."

"Why?"

"Cus her brother would kill me if I break her heart." Ray laughed, though Kai didn't see what was so funny about it.

"If you're not happy, then you should call it off."

"I am happy, I didn't mean to make it sound like I wasn't." Ray said, but once again his eyes gave him away. Kai didn't have it in him to call his bluff so he let the subject drop.

"Well our beds are set up, which one do you want?" Ray asked.

"I'll take the smaller one." Kai said as he finished up his water, setting his glass down beside Rays on the island. He didn't want to be rude and have the bigger one, he was fine with sleeping curled up.

"Okay." Ray said as he walked back to the living room, digging through his backpack for a change of clothes and a toothbrush, taking them to the half bath that sat under the stairs by the door that led into the garage.

Kai wandered back to his bag, taking out his music player before he laid down onto the loveseat, his feet sticking over the other side of it as it he pulled the sheet around him and plugged his earbuds in his ears, turning the volume up as far as it could go and drowning out the rest of the world. Ray had come back out in his change of clothes and laid down on the couch, stretching out and covering himself up as he turned on his side. Within minutes the two had drifted off to sleep.

Kai woke when his body was slightly leaning off the side of the loveseat and his eyes snapped open as he caught himself against the coffee table before he hit the ground, his heart slamming against his chest from the unexpected movement and pushed himself back onto the cushions as he ran a hand down his face.

When he looked back up Ray wasn't on the couch beside him, the half bath under the stairs was open; he obviously wasn't in there. There was a small amount of light seeping around the corner of the wall by the kitchen, coming from outside and he was sure that the back light had been turned off before they went to sleep.

Carefully and quietly he pushed himself off the loveseat going to the back door and stood on the other side of it, since it was a sliding glass door he could see Ray sitting out there under the overhang on wooden bench looking up at the night sky. Kai's heart slammed into his chest again as he became frozen staring at him through the glass, he was beautiful under the light of the moon and the dim porch light.

Without thinking he pulled the door open, the door sliding on it's tracks caused Ray's head to snap towards him with a jump of surprise, having been caught off guard in his own little world, and he quickly recovered when he saw it was just Kai stepping outside with him. Ray pat the empty space beside him and Kai went and sat with him once he slid the door closed, the smell of smoke wafting up his nose but he didn't see any cigarette buds on the ground.

"Couldn't sleep… Kept having nightmares so I came out to get some fresh air." Ray said quietly beside him, his focus back on the night sky.

Kai felt sorry for him, he knew what that was like. He had lost countless hours of sleep because he couldn't ever go back to sleep after having one either, it left him tired most of the time but he hid it well.

"I wanted to ask…" Ray started again in the same quiet voice as before, but he still didn't turn to look at Kai sitting beside him.

Kai shifted a little, folding his arms over his chest. It was a little cold out, but not enough to need a jacket but the air had pricked his skin and he wanted to keep his body heat as much as possible. Ray had grabbed a jacket; his cheeks were a little pink from the cold air and Kai wondered just how long he had been sitting out there.

"You don't have to answer me, if you don't want to, but why don't you share the same last name with your mom?" Ray asked, looking embarrassed for asking.

Kai stayed silent, he didn't want to answer him right now, maybe another time but he was just starting to get to know him and didn't need to scare him off. Ray got the hint; Kai's silence was answer enough.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I'll tell you another time." Kai said plainly, shifting again uncomfortably beside him.

"Promise?" Ray asked as he nudged him in the side.

"Yeah…" Kai said with a stutter, his face heating up at the touch.

The two fell silent and after a minute Ray shifted and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, Kai watching him with an arched brow as he stood up off the bench and lit one stuck between his lips.

"Didn't take you for a smoker." Kai said and Ray looked at him as he blew a cloud of smoke out the side of his mouth.

"I'm not that big on it, but it helps with the stress." Ray said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not even old enough to buy them."

"I'm not, but Lee is." Ray said with a smirk, taking another drag off his cigarette.

"Do the others know?" Kai asked, his brow arching higher.

"Yeah."

"And it doesn't affect your running?"

"Not really. Like I said, I don't do it that often." Ray answered as he blew another cloud out behind him.

Kai scoffed and rolled his eyes at him, "And what do you have to be stressed over, that you resort to smoking?" He asked in a patronizing way.

"Does it really bother you that much?" Ray bit back, dangling the cigarette between his fingers.

Kai shrugged his shoulders, "It's your body, do what you want with it."

"It does bother you."

"It's disgusting, and it kills you." Kai answered back plainly.

"We all die, Kai."

"So you want to speed it up?" Kai asked, his tone getting darker as he narrowed his eyes at him.

"I could die tomorrow and it wouldn't matter what I did today." Ray snapped back with a roll of his eyes.

Kai stared at him for a moment, once again he was trying to figure Ray out but like before it seemed to be a fruitless task. The once happy boy he had spent all day with had suddenly turned into this sad and dark one, if anything it just made it more apparent that he really didn't him know at all. There were more sides to Ray than he at first realized and he wanted to learn each one, carefully inspect them, figure him out and know more. Like it was a challenge.

"So what's stressing you out now?" Kai asked, breaking the silence.

Ray paused before he put the cigarette back between his lips, looking at him wide eyed for a moment. "I'll tell you another time." He said, sticking the cigarette in his mouth and inhaling deeply.

"Why not now?" Kai pressed.

"Because it'll just bore you."

"I asked for a reason." Kai said, not backing down.

Ray studied him for a second, meeting his gaze and exhaled heavily before bending down and snubbing out his half finished cigarette. He put it back inside the pack before tucking it away in his shorts, staying where he stood as he met Kai's eyes again.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asked and Kai nodded. "Okay…" Ray sighed out again as he turned around, pulling his shirt over his head and let it drop beside him. He pulled all his hair over his shoulder, revealing his back that was littered in scars.

Kai's mouth went dry, his heart coming to a screeching halt within his chest and it felt like he forgot how to breathe for a second. He was like him… And he didn't want him to be.

"The others don't know about this, not even Lee or Mariah." Ray spoke, his voice quiet again as he dropped his hair and turned back around to face Kai who looked like he had been slapped in the face.

"I've lost count, to how many I have. How many times I've tried to make it stop… It's why I grew my hair out so long, to cover them. The sad thing is, is he's smart enough not to put them where other people will see them." He said, his voice cracking slightly.

"Why haven't you told anyone?" Kai asked, finding his voice for it to only crack as well.

"Because he's the only family I have." Ray said and Kai understood him completely. "I told you my mother died… She was killed by a drunk driver, they never caught the guy either." Ray said, his voice only getting weaker but he hadn't shed a tear. "That's why I said what I did… It doesn't matter what you do today when you can die tomorrow."

Kai shook his head at him, sure he was right and he felt the same at times but that was no real way to live. "That doesn't mean you should throw your life away by trying to shorten it."

"That's pretty rich coming from a guy like you."

"You don't know me." Kai said, his voice getting dark again.

"And you don't know me." Ray said, digging into his shorts pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, chucking the box at Kai where it fell onto his lap. Kai got the hint, taking the pack in his hand and crushed the box.

"Why did you show me… If your friends don't even know?" Kai felt himself asking before he could stop himself.

"You are my friend Kai." Ray said quietly, "And I guess... Because I feel like I can trust you enough not to tell anyone." He said, deciding not to tell Kai that he had seen his own scars that morning. They were alike in more ways than one.

"You should tell somebody." Kai said quietly, keeping his eyes on Ray's.

"It's too late to do that, I'll be seventeen in two weeks. If I got put in the system I'd lose everything I have right now. It's better to wait it out until I can just get out when I'm eighteen, and it's not as bad as it was before."

Something within Kai snapped, he didn't know why but his anger got the better of him. Maybe it was because Ray acted like this wasn't such a big deal when it was, maybe it was because he liked Ray and didn't want him to be stuck somewhere he'd keep getting hurt.

"Not bad? Ray, I couldn't even make out a sliver of skin that didn't look like you had been mauled by a tiger!" He shot out causing Ray to look wide eyed at him for the sudden outburst, his mouth falling open slightly in his shock.

"I didn't show you for you to get on my case about it, I'll handle it!" Ray shouted back once his brain had caught up to him. "And I expect you to keep your mouth shut about this." He yelled as if it were an afterthought. "I don't need the others to know, they don't need to know. I don't need the cops pulling up at my house, and I don't need to be torn away from everything I know!"

Kai's mouth snapped shut on him. No matter how much he wanted to help him he knew all too well what it was like to have that happened to you, he had lived through ten years of it. He wasn't going to argue with him about it any longer though, so he pushed himself off the bench and made himself as tall as he could.

"Fine." Was all he said before he turned away from him, going back into the apartment with the pack of cigarettes clenched in his fist.

"Fine!" Ray yelled back, not even sure why he had as the door slid shut hard behind Kai.

When Ray had finally come back in Kai had rolled over where his back faced him, Ray stopped on the side of the couch peering through the darkness at him before he let out a sigh and crawled back under his sheets, pulling them around his shoulders as he laid on his back staring up at the ceiling.

He hadn't wanted to fight with him and part of him wasn't even sure why they had fought over it. He wasn't scared that Kai might go to someone about it, when he said that he trusted him he had meant it. There was something about him that made him feel like he could trust him with his life, he didn't even have that with Lee who had been his best friend since they were kids. Not to mention his relationship with Mariah, one of the most intimate parts of him she knew nothing about it, almost afraid that if she did she'd look at him differently and that scared him.

For the longest time they were all he had growing up, until he met Tyson and Max when they started high school together. He didn't want any of them to look at him differently, to worry about him or worse. Pity him. He figured that's exactly how Kai felt since he was scared just as badly, if not worse, than himself. In a way he found comfort in that, knowing he wasn't alone and he didn't want to lose him.

He shifted around and sat up, "Kai?"

Kai's back tensed, he had been awake the entire time but hadn't had it in him to acknowledge him. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to now.

"I know you're awake." Ray said, a smirk on his lips.

"What do you want?" Kai asked annoyed.

"I'm sorry." Ray said, his smirk vanishing from his face.

Kai rolled over and stared through the darkness at him, Ray's eyes almost seemed to glow in the darkness of the room and he felt his throat clenching up on him.

"What for?" He asked.

"For arguing with you, it was wrong of me. You were just trying to help." Ray said quietly, afraid that if he talked any louder they'd end up fighting again.

"It's alright… Just kind of shocked me, a little…" Kai admitted.

"Not a very good first impression, I'm sure." Ray said with a small smile in a playful tone.

Kai found his own smile coming on his lips, "I think we've already had our chance at first impressions."

"That's right, you almost ran into a door." Ray said with a laugh and Kai was thankful that it was almost pitch black in the room since his face had probably turned thirty shades of red.

"And you still wanted to be my friend?" Kai asked in his own nervous laugh.

Ray laughed again at him, "I did."

"I pity you."

"I don't see why you would, you're not a bad guy." Ray said, his voice changing slightly to something Kai wasn't expecting.

Was Ray flirting with him now? He could only hope so, but then again it wouldn't be the right thing to do since he had a girlfriend.

"You don't know me." Kai repeated, it being the only thing he could think of to say now as his mind went on the defensive with no rhyme or reason.

Did he want Ray to get close, or would it be better if they stayed apart?

"I'd like to." Ray said, in that same tone that sent a shiver through Kai's body.

Kai turned back around with his back to Ray, pulling his sheets over his shoulders as if he was trying to hide under them now. Ray went quiet as he watched him and decided to let the conversation end there, laying back down on his back as he tried to get back to sleep before morning came. His own heart beating against his ribcage for an unknown reason as something stirred in the pit of his stomach, and all at once he liked it and didn't. It scared him.


	8. Living Not Alive

**Since this story is going to take a while to close, even though I have roughly twenty chapters already written, how often would you all like the updates to come out? I wanted you all to decide how often this gets updated I want to get an good idea of what all you want me to do for this. I can update every day up to a certain point at the moment, or once every week or twice a week with a few days between (like posting on Monday and then on Friday every week.) I'll leave it up to you guys so shoot me your preferences in the reviews.  
Like always I appreciate anything and everything you guys give me in your reviews and I'm happy to see that some of you are still around. This chapter is a bit lighter, not by much but it is. I promise there are lighter chapters to come. **

**The title to this chapter is a song name (I won't do many chapters based around songs, but there are a few that I feel fit the chapter or story as a whole.) The song is from The Veer Union, and like with everything else I don't own it.**

 **As I mentioned before in one of my earlier Notes is that this is my way of opening up about my own past, and even though I'm not as scarred as badly as our boys I am a survivor of abuse and a lot like Ray I didn't speak up about it until much later on down the road. If you are like me my heart goes out to you, nobody deserves the things that's happened to us and you're not alone.**

 **Please enjoy the show and let me know what you all want in terms of updates and I'll see you guys later.**

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Ch 8- Living Not Alive

When Kai awoke again it was to the smell of a breakfast being made and he rolled over, somehow he had kicked his sheets off of him in his sleep and they were piled on the floor at the end of the loveseat. His back felt a little sore and he stretched it out before he stood, blinking away the sleep and he saw Ray standing in the kitchen in front of the stove.

"What're you doing?"

"Making breakfast, you hungry?" Ray asked, not even looking at him.

"Tyson's grandfather doesn't care?" Kai asked, his brow arched as he started towards the kitchen to stand with him.

"Nope, I come over often enough that this has pretty much become routine." Ray laughed a little. "Could you go get the other two up for me? If we don't Tyson will sleep the entire day away."

Kai didn't say anything as he turned back around to head for the stairs, Tyson's grandfather passing by him with a warm smile that poked out under his mustache, and he could hear him and Ray greeting each other like Ray was his grandson.

Kai continued up to Tyson's room, beating on the door to get them awake. After a few minutes passed Max poked his head out between the door, his blonde hair completely tossed around his head like he had been caught up in a tornado.

"Ray's making breakfast, said to come get you two."

Max's smile brightened and he opened the door to Tyson's room, the sheets he had slept in on the floor in a mess as Tyson was still passed out on his bed. The mess that Kai had seen the night before had just been pushed away to the sides carelessly. Max dove on top of Tyson with a shout, the other boy sitting up as his eyes shot open.

"C'mon Tyson! Ray's making breakfast for us!" Max shouted, grabbing up the collar of Tyson's shirt and shook him around like a rag doll.

"I'm-awake-already." Tyson mumbled sleepily, his eyes trying to fall close but with the way Max was shaking him made it difficult.

"Don't make me get the bucket again." Max warned in a playful tone and Tyson seemed to have snapped awake.

"Nope, nope, I'm up!" Tyson said, pushing Max off of him as he jumped off the bed.

All the while Kai had just watched in surprise in the doorway, these two were something else. It reminded him of Tala a little bit. He saw what Ray had meant the night before, they were close, and that kind of warmed Kai's heart a little.

"Oh, mornin' Kai." Tyson said as he finally looked up and saw him, Kai gave him a curt nod of the head before heading back towards the stairs. The other two on his heels, like a bunch of toddlers.

"There you are my main men, good mornin'" Tyson's grandfather said with a broad smile at the head of the table, Ray at the island plating the food he had made.

"Morning grandpa." Tyson and Max sang out, going and joining him at the table.

Tyson sitting on his left with Max taking the seat beside Tyson, Kai sat down at the other end across from the old man and when Ray had finally handed out everyone's plates he took the spot on the other side of Tyson and Max, on Kai's right.

"Thanks Ray my man, looks good." Grandpa said before he dug into the food.

"Smells good too, Ray." Tyson added, shoveling the eggs into his mouth. "You've out done yourself." Tyson said with his mouth full, tears in his eyes.

Kai shook his head, ducking his head so he didn't have to watch Tyson suck everything into his mouth like a vacuum cleaner. The moment he bit down onto the eggs he froze a little, they were amazing. He was a little surprised, they were just eggs after all, but somehow Ray had made them into something better than he had ever had.

"This is good." He said as he looked up through his bangs at Ray who smiled at him like he knew, his golden eyes twinkling a little.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like them."

The table went quiet, everyone finishing their plates. Max and Tyson taking them up to the sink before coming back, grandpa going off to the living room to watch the morning news with a cup of coffee. Kai had grabbed himself a coffee to, coming back to the table when the younger two did as they took back up their seats.

"So, next week is homecoming. What are we gonna do for costumes this year?" Tyson asked, looking to each of them like they were discussing a top secret meeting.

"Well Monday is Meme Day, Tuesday is Super Hero Day and Ray's birthday. Wednesday… I don't remember the rest." Max said with a slight chuckle.

"Wasn't Wednesday supposed to be Celebrities or something?" Ray asked.

"That's right!" Tyson shouted out excitedly. "I can totally be Ichiro Suzuki." He said, his excitement only rising.

"Who?" Max asked.

"Only the best Japanese Baseball player in the world, did you know he set a record of 262 hits in a single season." Tyson answered, the others just laughing a little behind their hands at him. "What do we have for Thursday?" He asked, meeting Ray's eyes.

Ray sat back into his chair, looking to be in thought for a minute. "I think that's supposed to be Generations Day, where for us we have to dress up like adults."

"That's boring…" Tyson mumbled. "Friday is School Colors and the game."

"I think you forgot to mention that the dance is this Saturday too." Max added.

"Were we even going?" Tyson asked, looking to all of them.

"I know Mariah wanted to, but I wasn't sure if we were going or not." Ray answered as he motioned to the others at the table.

"You gonna ask Hilary to go with you." Max asked as he nudged Tyson in the side, the other's face turning red in an instant.

"No! Remember we're on this 'break' thing, whatever the hell that is… Like, am I allowed to see other people? What am I supposed to do here? I've never heard of something like this." Tyson groaned out, pulling at his bed hair. The other two laughed at him again, Kai sitting and sipping at his coffee in silence.

"I think it'll be fun if we all go, either way." Max said with his permanent smile on his face.

"Fine, if you want to." Tyson sighed out, deflating against the table were he rested his chin on the top of it.

"I don't think there's a lot for Meme Day that we can do… It kind of sounds boring to be honest, but Super Hero Day we can dress up as The Avengers." Max suggested.

"Should we just show up and surprise everyone?" Tyson asked, looking a little more enthused.

"Sounds good to me." Max laughed and Ray nodded, the surprise was the best part of it. "What are we doing for your birthday Ray?"

"I wasn't really planning anything, my uncle has me working that day anyways." Ray explained as he leaned an elbow on the table and laid his head into the palm of his hand, Kai's stomach twisted in knots at the mention of Ray's uncle.

"Well that sucks, what a way to spend your birthday." Tyson grumbled, sitting his head up.

Ray just shrugged at him, he really didn't mind it. It kept him busy and put some money in his pocket, so he wasn't going to complain since he needed all the money he could get.

"So, we're skipping Monday and doing the rest of the week then?" Max asked, not once having lost the excitement in his eyes or voice.

"Looks like it." Tyson said, his excitement coming back a little bit.

Ray went to speak when his phone started to go off, he pulled it out and frowned at the caller ID.

"Be right back." He excused himself, pushing himself away from the table and going towards the back porch, shutting the door behind him as he put the phone to his ear.

Kai had watched him go, not missing how tense he looked as he had left. It was pretty clear who had been calling him, he didn't think it'd be smart to bother him about it though and finished his coffee before taking the empty mug to the sink and rinsed it out.

When Ray came back into the house he looked upset, neither of the boys said anything to him as he went into the living room and picked up the sheets from the loveseat and couch quietly.

"You headin' out already?" Grandpa asked and Ray nodded, as he folded the sheets.

"Thank you for letting me stay." Ray said, busy folding the sheets and laid them on the empty cushion beside Tyson's grandpa.

"Anytime, we like having you over. You're always welcomed here, you know that."

Ray smiled back at him, finishing with the sheets and carried them upstairs to put them back where he had gotten them from the night before. Kai wasn't sure why, but he had gotten the feeling that Tyson's grandfather knew a bit more than what he led on about Ray and something within him told himself to stay a bit farther from the old man, lest his own history come to light.

"You wanna catch a ride with me, Kai?" Ray asked once he had come back down the stairs, his eyes almost pleading.

Kai nodded, he didn't think it'd be a good idea to let Ray go alone. Ray gave him a thankful smile, making sure he had all his things ready and Kai did the same. Thanking Tyson's grandfather for letting him stay as well, Ray saying his goodbyes to the other two as they slipped out the front door together, their bags slung over their shoulders. Since he had his phone he sent a text to Natasha, letting her know that he was getting a ride with Ray back home and put his phone back into his pocket as he felt his back tense, waiting for the asshole that was Ray's uncle to come pick them up.

They didn't have to wait long, the black old beat up truck rolling into the driveway and stopped. Ray started first, Kai behind him silently, and they climbed into the back together where Ray knew it was safer. Kai could feel Ray's uncles eyes on him heatedly and met them with his own glare, the two staring at each other before Ray's uncle pulled their gaze away and backed out of the drive.

The ride was deadly silent, where a tension hung in the air that was thick and almost suffocating. Ray's uncle pulled up onto the gravel pathway on the side of their home and shut the truck off, climbing out without a word and slammed the door shut behind him before he stormed towards the house. Kai and Ray stayed in the back seats, having watched him go without a word until he disappeared into the house.

"Thanks." Ray mumbled as he picked up his bag, turning to get out of the truck.

Kai had to swallow the lump in his throat, not wanting him to go. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked, his mouth dry.

Ray shook his head at him, a small smile of appreciation on his lips. "I'll be alright." He said quietly, and Kai wanted to grab him and hold him to keep him from leaving.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ray said, looking up at him through his bangs and Kai's heart sank again.

He didn't like this, he didn't want this. He had his own fair share of demons and problems, he didn't need Ray's either but now he had them. Had to live with the knowledge of what was going to happen behind that closed door, and that there wasn't a thing he could do for him. He didn't like it, feeling so helpless, but Ray had told him he didn't want the help.

Ray reached for the door handle again and Kai's hand caught his arm stopping him. Ray turned and looked at him questioningly, seeing the fear Kai had in his crimson eyes for him, the fear he felt and lived in day-to-day. Ray turned back around, putting his hand over Kai's that still was holding onto him, feeling them both slightly trembling.

"It's okay." He said, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.

"Is it?" Kai's voice croaked out, not sounding quite his own.

Ray shook his head at him, "What else can I do?" Ray asked in the same quiet voice.

Kai didn't have an answer for him and Ray removed their hands from his arm, holding onto it just a bit longer and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was glad that Kai was concerned for him, even if he really didn't want it, but it was nice having someone who knew now. After all the years of having kept it a secret.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ray said again and this time Kai let him go, following after him quietly as he pulled his own bag out of the truck and put it over his shoulder.

Ray had waited for him, looking frozen again and without warning he threw his arms around Kai's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. Kai became frozen, his face burning as his heart beat against his chest so hard he was sure Ray could feel it against his own. He just stood there, unsure what to do. Nobody aside from Tala and Natasha had ever really hugged him, not even Brooklyn had hugged him.

Ray pulled back looking embarrassed, he hadn't meant to make Kai uncomfortable. "Sorry…"

"It's fine." Kai croaked out again, the lump back in his throat.

Ray just half smiled at him, picking up his backpack and walking around the front of the truck towards his house. Kai watched him go, wanting to grab him again but he couldn't find it in him to do so. Ray disappeared through the front door of his home, the door shutting behind him and Kai felt like a weight had settled onto his shoulders the moment the sound of the door closing hit him.

He grabbed his bag and started for his own home, head down as he stepped inside and ignored the others sitting in the living room watching TV together. Natasha and Micah exchanged a look, Natasha frowning as she had watched Kai wander to his room without a word and then hearing his door close behind him. Tala had looked up from his phone, a frown on his face like his mothers. No one had really expected him to come looking like that and they all wondered what had happened to make him look so down, Tala being the one to stand went to find out.

"Hey." He said as he cracked open Kai's door.

Kai was sitting at his desk, the CD Ray had given him in his hands as he was looking at the back cover of it, reading off the names in his head. Tala stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and sat down on the end of Kai's bed where he faced him.

"What's that?" Tala asked, eyeing the CD.

"Ray got it for me yesterday." Kai breathed out, still staring at the CD in his hands.

Tala arched a playful brow, trying to keep from smiling like the idiot he was. "Really? That's cool, so why the long face?" Tala asked, noticing that Kai still had that same stony expression on his face.

Kai shook his head, he wanted to tell him but also wanted to respect Ray's wishes. Tala sat back, crossing his legs and his arms as he gave his brother a cross look.

"Did you really not like your first sleepover?"

"It's not that." Kai sighed, finally setting the CD down on his desk again.

"Then what is it?" Tala asked, cocking his head to the side a little.

"…You can't tell anyone…" Kai said against his better judgement, praying that Tala would for once listen to him.

"Okay…"

"I'm serious, you can't say anything." Kai snapped at him harshly, his eyes burning.

"I swear." Tala said, holding his left hand up as he placed his right over his heart.

Kai let out a heavy breath as he closed his eyes, "He's like me…" Kai muttered out, not having it within him to look at Tala as he spoke.

Tala almost hadn't heard him and when he did his eyes widened, not sure what exactly he meant but by the look on Kai's face he could take a wild guess.

"And he doesn't want you to say anything about it?" Tala asked, and Kai nodded.

"He showed me last night… It was awful…" Kai said in a shaky breath, trying to get the image of Ray's back out of his mind.

"Who else knows?" Tala asked, his own throat going dry.

"Just me…" Kai answered, "Said that he didn't need the others to know, that he could trust me not to tell anyone…"

"Did he say how long it's been going on?"

Kai shook his head again, "His uncle came and picked us up and I just let him go…"

"If he doesn't want you to do anything about it, then let him handle it. There wasn't anything you could do." Tala tried to reason, but it wasn't like Kai hadn't already told himself that.

"That's bullshit, I could go over there right now and stop him!" Kai bit out angrily.

"And go to jail?" Tala asked with a raised brow and Kai's mouth snapped shut. "Exactly, and I'm sure you know what would happen to Ray if the cops were called."

"So I'm just supposed to act like I don't know, that I don't care?!" Kai asked angrily with a fire in his eyes.

"No, be there for him when he needs you. If he's opened up this much to you already, then he trusts you. Take that as a good thing and when he needs you, let him come to you. I know it sucks Kai, but if this is how he wants to handle it then let him." Tala said as he placed on hand on Kai's trembling shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Kai nodded as he turned his head away from his brother, not liking that he was right but didn't have it in him to argue back anymore. Tala stood up, patting Kai's shoulder again before he put his arms around his shoulders and hugged him from the side.

"Love you." Tala said, pulling back and ruffling Kai's two-toned hair before he left him alone.

"Love you…" Kai mumbled back at the closed door, picking up the CD Ray had gotten him and started to unwrap it.

He pulled out his old CD player, surprised that the batteries in it were still good and took it to his bed after grabbing his earbuds from his music player and laid down on his back as he started the CD up. The first song started to play, at first it was soft and then started to get a bit heavier until the lyrics started to come in.

"Now I know why, you couldn't breathe. Locked in a life that you can't leave. Now I know why you couldn't heal, stuck in a world that you can't feel." The voice came out a little distorted, Kai actually liked the touch it added.

"In silence you are fading, crumbling and breaking. Said that you're mistaken, but you're numb to what you need. Can someone rip you open? And break what has been broken? Before there's nothing left to bleed." The music got a bit harder and Kai found himself really liking the sound of it, grateful that Ray had gotten him this.

"You drift into the darkest skies, I can see the life leave your eyes, it's buried beneath your crooked grin. It's fighting to fuel the fire again. How to lose your hypnotize, drowning in the taste of your lies. The star that would shine, now it dies within. You're lost in the life that you're living in. And I can see you're living. But you're not alive." Kai frowned a little, not that he didn't like the song but it was more at the picture it was painting. One that was a bit too close to home, for the both of them it seemed.

"The scars you're creating. Smiling and Faking. When will you awaken? You succumb to the disease. Like a whisper in the weather. Nothing lasts forever." Kai didn't know why but he felt his stomach clench up, not even sure if he could finish the song now. It reminded him too much of the scars on his body, the scars on Ray's back and the things he had said to him the night before.

"Now I know why, you couldn't breathe. You're locked in a life that you can't leave, now I know why you couldn't heal, you're stuck in a world that you can't feel. You drift into the darkest skies, I can see the life leave your eyes. It's buried beneath your crooked grin, it's fighting to fuel the fire again. How to lose your hypnotize, drowning in the taste of your lies. The star that would shine, now it dies within. You're lost in the life that you're living in." Kai couldn't take it anymore, he hit the stop button and pulled the earbuds out from his ears.

He'd have to listen to it another time, but right now he just couldn't. It was too much and he didn't know why. It spoke to him in a way that he didn't want it to and he now he felt like he knew why Ray had picked the CD out for him. Like he was already trying to tell him without having to say the words, and that hurt more than anything because he couldn't help him.

The doorbell rang and he bolted off his bed, rushing out into the living room as Natasha opened the door and he froze in the doorway of the living room as Natasha let his Social Worker inside the house.

"Good afternoon everyone." He said as he stepped into the house, holding a binder to his chest.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Mr. Dickenson?" Natasha asked with a surprised look on her face, obviously not being the only one caught off guard by the sudden visit.

The once happy expression Dickenson wore vanished and he quietly dug into his binder, producing a paper and handed it over to Natasha. As Natasha scanned over it with her icy-blue eyes her lips pressed together into a thin line, and her eyes snapped back to Dickenson and then to Kai who was still standing in the doorway of the living room.

"I'm sorry that this is so sudden, but it's out of my hands at the moment." Dickenson said, his voice showing his sincerity.

"What is it Ma?" Tala asked, having taken a seat back on the couch he had been on before Kai had come home, his father sitting beside him with the same question having been on the tip of his tongue.

Natasha swallowed hard, "It's a court date…" She said, meeting Kai's eyes that were now shining with fear.

"I'm sorry, but I'll do everything I can to help." Dickenson said, looking to Kai and giving him a gentle smile. "You shouldn't worry about it too much my boy, there's no way he'll get you back."

Kai's back tensed, he didn't like having this thrown on top of him with everything else but he wasn't about to show it to him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes burning with a fire behind them. Of course there was no way he'd get him back, the judge would have had to be a moron to even agree to give him a court hearing but as Dickenson had said it was out of their hands, and now just a waste of time for all of them.

"When is it?" Kai asked, his tone deep.

"Next Saturday, on the twentieth."


	9. A New Week A New Problem

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE! It meant the world to me, it truly did. Yes, I am in a much better situation now from that of which I grew up in.  
I took everyone's requests to heart and as most of you know I mentioned Monday's and Friday's as when I'll update for now on for you guys, so, here we are.  
** **Hope you all enjoy, have a good weekend, take care of yourselves, and I'll see you all on Monday.**

* * *

Ch 9- A New Week A New Problem: Monday October 8th-Tuesday October 9th.

Monday morning came slow and Kai was already up getting ready for school before his alarm had even gone off, having been awake since four in the morning. He had been unable to sleep, even with taking his pills, with too many nightmares and worries in his head it was impossible for him to stay asleep.

Too much had happened over the weekend; from Ray having confided in him that he was being abused by his uncle, and that Kai was the only one to know about it, to a court date on Saturday, the same day as the homecoming dance. He was sure he wasn't going to it anyways, but if he had to choose between the two he'd rather have gone to the dance.

He wandered to the kitchen, after having brushed his hair and forgone styling it this time and gathered himself some cereal and sat at the empty table. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle seeing Ray after knowing what had happened, after having worried himself almost sick, but he was going to try and do what Tala had said and be there for him; it was all he could really do.

Natasha and Micah came into the kitchen as he gathered his mess up, rinsing his bowl out. Natasha and Micah watched him leave them without a word, both looking concerned and worried for him. The news of having another court date wasn't something they had been expecting either and they were worried how he'd be handling it, knowing full well that he wouldn't open up to them about his feelings and how it maybe effecting him. Tala could try, but even that might not be effective in getting him to talk. They hadn't moved from where they stood and listened as the front door closed behind him, not even telling them goodbye.

Kai froze when he was outside, not from the cold; even though it was getting a bit chillier than before. Rays uncle's truck wasn't in the drive and Ray wasn't outside waiting for Lee to come and pick him up and Kai wasn't sure whether he should go over and check on him or not, he didn't want to butt in too much in case it made Ray uncomfortable if he looked too nosy.

Kai finally made up his mind, he'd see him at school for first period and ride the bus to school and he did just that, walking the three blocks to the stop and waited in the chilly morning air.

Other students started to show up, dragging their feet behind them with sleep filled eyes. Some started to talk amongst friends while others sat on the cold concrete of the sidewalk to finish up last minute school work, Kai had remembered his music player and kept the volume at a reasonable level that was perfect enough to drown out everything around him; if somebody screamed for help he wouldn't hear it and that's how he liked it. After having been out there for thirty minutes already, waiting another fifteen, the bus finally rolled up along the side of the road and he followed the crowd on and found himself a seat near the back.

He felt himself starting to doze off and before he got the chance to close his eyes the bus pulled onto school property and he gathered his things, following the other sleepy kids off and towards the side of the building where they had been let off. He hadn't been expecting to see anyone that he knew right away so he kept his head low as he walked to his locker, several folded pieces of paper falling to his feet and he fought an eye-roll.

Ignoring them he put his bag away, grabbing out his chemistry book and then snatched up the stack of papers; totaling ten, and took them straight to the trash where he dumped them without a second thought.

When he walked into his Chemistry class he was a bit taken back to see Ray's stool was empty but he still had time to get there, so he took his own stool and waited. The bell rang a few minutes later, the rest of the class having come in along with the teacher but no Ray.

His heart sunk a little, all the worse possible scenarios running through his mind that he barely heard the teacher's lecture. Ray didn't show up at all and the bell rung, dismissing them off to their next class.

As he stepped into his Calculus class Oliver was sitting in the seat he had taken the last time, in front of his old seat, and he sent Kai a friendly smile as he sat behind him. Thankfully the French lad decided not to try and be overly friendly, but once again Kai found himself only thinking of Ray and if he was alright, without his phone to text him it only made his worrying worsen; he'd have to wait till lunch to see the others and find out if any of them had heard from Ray.

The next hour was almost hell for him and by the time his English class was done he bolted towards the cafeteria, running into Mariah in the process as she was going to her next class.

"Where's the fire Kai?" She asked, her yellow eyes full of humor.

"Sorry." He apologized as he bent down, helping her to pick up her books that he had knocked out of her hand from running into her.

"It's okay." She giggled as she took what he handed to her.

He hadn't really been wanting to ask her, of all people, about Ray but it had to do; he didn't think he'd be able to go on much longer and who better to ask than the girlfriend?

"Have you seen Ray today?" He asked as they stood up and she shook her head no at him, a slight frown on her face.

"He said he wasn't feeling well, and Lee had a dentist appointment today so our parents drove me to school this morning so I haven't seen him at all today. But Lee is going to pick me up after school so I can go see him." She said, her frown turning into a smile.

Kai nodded, at least he was still alive but now he knew he wasn't going to get to see him at all even after school.

"Thanks…" He mumbled, walking off before she could even say a word and watched him go, going her own way to her next class.

"Hey Kai!" Max said, bouncing up beside him as he entered the cafeteria and then threw himself in front of him and stopped. "Here, I got you a ticket for the dance." He said, thrusting out the ticket for Kai to take.

Kai just stared at it, when had Max done that and why would he for him? He wasn't even going to go, not after having to go to court and being grounded on top of everything.

"I wasn't going…" Kai said quietly but Max's excitement didn't die.

"I figured you weren't, that's why I made sure to buy it for you. I got everyone else's too." He said with a cheeky grin, waving the ticket in Kai's face. "It'll be fun, I promise." He sang out, the ticket almost brushing against Kai's nose and he snatched it from him as it started to get irritating.

Max's grin turned into a full blown smile, his face beaming brighter than the sun. "I'll get every ones tickets for the game too, they start selling them on Friday." He said and Kai nodded, not finding it within himself to decline again. The boy looked too excited that he probably wouldn't have listened to him anyways.

Max fell back beside Kai and they went up to one of the lines to get their lunch and then went outside to sit with Tyson and Kenny. Nobody mentioned Ray's absence, Kai figured he had texted them that morning like he had done with Mariah, and they talked about the dance coming up and what they were going to wear and who they were going to ask, suddenly all eyes were on Kai and he stared back.

"Did you even hear us?" Tyson asked with a slight pout and Kai just stared back, when had they been talking to him? Tyson's pout got harder as he looked at him before sighing and shook his head.

"We said that you should ask Julia to the dance." Max said before Tyson could get a word in and Kai rose a brow.

"Why?"

"Why not? You two would look so cute together." Tyson answered, "You two got that two colored hair thing going on, think of the kids you'd make."

Kai made a face at him, since when did going to a dance equate to procreating?

"No thanks…"

Tyson pouted at him again as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Man you are such a wet blanket. I'm taking Hilary, Max has Mariam, Kenny has Emily, and Ray has Mariah. You should have someone too."

"No thanks." Kai said a bit more firmly, his red eyes starting to narrow at him.

"What about Mathilda?" Max asked and Kai shook his head.

Even if had only gone to school for three days it was pretty clear that she had a thing for Miguel, he had seen her following the blonde boy around like a love sick puppy around the halls.

"Are you too good for the girls here? Is that it?" Tyson asked, copying Kai by quirking a blue brow at him.

"I'm just not interested in taking someone to a dance." Kai answered dryly, "I wasn't even going to go." He added and shot a side glare at Max who seemed to have missed it, since he only smiled at him.

"Oh…" Tyson said, his face falling slightly. "Well fine, be the loner without a date." He huffed, losing the battle as he picked at his food with a bored expression.

The table got quiet after that, the boys finishing their meals before the bell rang and they parted ways. Kai went through the motions for his last two classes and was already out the side doors heading to his bus once school was finally over with, putting his earbuds into his ears, and climbed aboard to head home. When he stepped off at his stop, his music still blaring in his ears, he kept his focus on getting himself home to wash the day away and didn't notice the red car that had been following him since he had left school. As he reached his street the car took a turn, leaving him none the wiser about it as he stepped into his house; not even glancing towards Ray's home once.

As he stepped into the living room Natasha and Micah were sitting on the loveseat and he met their eyes, pulling his earbuds out of his ears as he stood by the door and waited for them to speak, it being clear they wanted to talk to him. Natasha motioned to the couch silently and Kai obeyed with the same silence, sitting down on the cushion farthest away from them, setting his backpack down by his feet and turned his music player off.

"What's going on honey?" Natasha asked, her icy-blue eyes looking over his person as if she was looking for an open wound of some kind.

"Nothing." Kai said in a neutral tone and they both gave him a look that told him they knew he was lying.

"You know you can tell us anything sweetie…" Natasha said gently and he nodded, "What happened over the weekend? Did you not have a good time with your friends?"

Kai's body tensed up a little on him, though he wasn't sure if it was because of what had happened or that Natasha had decided to use the F word.

"We just watched a stupid TV show, nothing happened." He said, forgoing the rest of what had happened. "I promise, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep good last night."

"You know there's nothing to worry about with the court date this Saturday, he's not ever going to get his hands on you again." Natasha said, taking a guess at what might be bothering him.

"I know…" Kai answered quietly. "I promise Ma, nothing is wrong. Okay?" He said a bit more loudly, in his normal tone and met her eyes, holding them until she nodded.

He had won and she had lost and they both knew it, he wasn't about to tell them anything even if they had every right to know.

"Thanks for worrying about me, but I'm okay." He said as he pushed himself away from the couch, picking up his bag and retreating to his room.

Natasha and Micah let him go, neither being fooled but didn't know what else to do for him since he clearly didn't want to talk about it. That night the mood was the same throughout dinner, even when Tala came home from his first day of college and his own happy mood quickly changed to that of everyone else, but he wasn't about to tell his parents what he knew since he had given Kai his word.

When morning came Kai repeated the same motions as the day before, having not gotten any sleep once again and he felt sluggish and dragged himself to the kitchen for some coffee in hopes it would wake him up. He ignored his starving stomach, not really feeling like eating, and left the house before his foster parents even woke up.

When he left the house he didn't even look over at Ray's, not even sure why he had ignored it, but he kept his head down as he walked to the bus stop for his fourth day of school. He had Algebra with Tyson, Kenny, and Emily for first period and he was dreading every second of it already.

It felt like he had waited forever before the bus finally rolled up, feeling almost frozen as the temperature had dropped again, and was thankful that the bus had heat. Once again he grabbed an empty seat at the back, the other kids avoiding him like he had his own personal bubble that nobody dared to step into.

Unlike the other times, when he opened his locker, there were no notes that fell out at his feet and he would have smirked at that but he was too numb to really care. He grabbed out his math book and headed for his class, Mr. Martin giving him a curt nod as he walked past him into the room and gave one back before he took his seat.

He was a bit surprised that Tyson had barely looked at him when he came into the room and took his seat, Kenny and Emily had already been in there before him and barely looked at him either and he would have cared if he was somebody else but he wasn't.

For some reason it felt like first period dragged on forever, having almost fallen asleep three times before the bell shook him awake and he grabbed his things before he slipped out into the crowded halls once more. History class was almost the same, though with a teacher like Mr. Mullins he found it hard to fall asleep even if he wanted to, the man was like an animated character that talked too much and too fast.

Thankfully he had lunch next but once again he ignored his growling stomach and headed for the library, not expecting to see Ray but was surprised to see him in there as he stepped through the doors. Ray barely looked up at him as he stepped inside the library, signing his name on the paper on the podium and put a slip of paper in the white basket; having gotten one from Mr. Mullins before he had left his class.

There seemed to be a tension between the two of them and Kai wandered towards the back where the computers sat, the corner of the room was darker over there and it gave him the perfect opportunity to rest his eyes for the time being. He wasn't sure how long he had been out but when a soft tap on his shoulder woke him up he about jumped out of his skin.

"It's okay, it's just me." Ray said as he took a step back from him, Kai looked like was about ready to kill someone.

"What time is it?" Kai asked groggily, running a hand through his hair that he once again had not styled like he normally would.

"Bells about to ring." Ray answered him, "You okay?"

"Are you?" Kai asked as he sat himself back into the chair he had occupied, holding Ray's gaze.

"I'm here." Ray said with a slight shrug as he adverted his gaze from him, not liking how Kai was looking at him now. He didn't want his pity.

Kai nodded, feeling like that was about all he could do given the situation and it didn't help the unknown tension between them. Ray didn't move though and Kai was starting to wonder why but couldn't find it in himself to ask him anything more; part of him not really wanting to know the details of what happened on Sunday once they parted ways.

Suddenly the bell rang and they both jumped. "See you in a little bit." Ray said as he finally moved away from his spot, heading towards the doors and Kai watched him go, giving him some space before he pushed himself away from the computer desk and followed after him to his own locker, losing him somewhere in the crowd.

When he entered their English class Ray wasn't there and when the bell rang he hadn't shown up at all, the teacher having to mark him absent. Once again he just went through the motions of the day through English and Keyboard, Tyson having once again looking like he was avoiding him but Kai wasn't going to complain since it was quiet and he could focus.

Finally, as it felt like it had been an eternity, he filed along with the others for gym and saw Ray with Lee and Mariah. When he approached them, Tyson Max and Kenny behind him, the other three all looked at him like he was some extraterrestrial being but no one said anything to him. As they were called by the coaches and headed into the locker rooms he grabbed at Ray's shoulder, having stood behind him in the line.

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice almost in a growl.

"What're you talking about?" Ray asked, giving him a questioning look.

"I'm talking about everyone acting like somebody has died." Kai answered and Ray's eyes widened slightly at his choice of words, and for a minute they stood in silence before he finally cleared his throat.

"Nobody's died Kai, but… Something is going on…" Ray answered quietly, his eyes shifting around as if there were other people around listening to their conversation.

"What is it?" He asked and then looked him over quickly, not missing the smell of smoke on him. "Do they know now?" He asked, lowering his voice and Ray shook his head.

"No, it's not about me." Ray answered him, "C'mon, we better go change before we get yelled at." He said quickly and pulled away from him.

Kai didn't say anything back as he followed after him, half of the boys were already changed and ready to go. Kai felt more awake now for some reason, as if his body was on alert all on its own like he was anticipating a sudden ambush of some kind.

"Do you mind?" Ray asked as they stepped up to their lockers, motioning to his lock.

Kai silently stepped up and did the combination for him before crouching down to get his own undone, taking his clothes to an open bathroom stall to change. When he stepped out the others were already gone, Ray the only one waiting for him.

"You going to tell me now?" Kai asked as he stood up from shutting his locker.

Ray shook his head at him again, "I don't think I have to tell you anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai asked in a growl, his nerves kicking up on him now and his anger was slowly starting to come forth.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way Kai, I'm just surprised you haven't noticed it."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be noticing, what the hell is going on?!" Kai yelled out, his hands clenching beside him.

Ray went to speak when the coach called for them to head out, Ray giving Kai an apologetic look and swept out of the locker room, his long hair following after him in its normal white wrap. The look Ray had given him didn't make him feel any better, if anything it made his anger and nerves kick up another notch and he marched after him.

Much like his first day of school they were escorted outside to the football field to run laps, though this time the group stayed together in a light jog to finish the task. Kai had been looking around at the other students, trying to see if he could figure out what was going on, the only thing that was off was the fact that Oliver was running by himself as his normal group was running together.

"Alright boys and girls, we're going to be outside for the day since it's warmed up some. There's jump rope, football, soccer, take your pick. If you don't feel like participating in one of these then I want to see you walking the track for the rest of the period." The coach said once the students had gathered around him once they were done with their three laps.

Some girls went off to get jump ropes, a few boys following in line. Others grabbed footballs and soccer balls, each sport taking an opposite side of the football field.

Kai decided to keep walking, it may have warmed up some but with the wind the air was still chilly. Tyson, Max, and Kenny had gone to play football with some other boys. Lee had gone to running the track, and Mariah had pulled Ray off to jump rope with her.

"Mind if I join you mon ami?" Oliver asked as he stepped in line with Kai as they rounded the first turn of the track, a few other students already ahead of them.

Kai shook his head at him, not really caring either way since it looked like Oliver was already going to join him regardless if he said no. They fell in step beside each other in silence, Kai eyeing him from the side and wondering what was wrong with him since he looked to be down about something. That same look in his eyes that Kai had seen their first time meeting was there but somehow stronger, but once again Kai held his tongue from asking him what was wrong; it wasn't his place to butt into others business.

As they got around the second turn, towards the back of the track and field where the football game was taking place, Oliver tensed up beside Kai but didn't speak as he lowered his head slightly and watched his feet as he walked. Kai had noticed and then looked towards the others out playing football, Tyson and Max and Kenny were there watching along with Robert and Johnny and Enrique.

Johnny had the ball in his hands and as the red-head met Kai's eyes, having been the one closest to the grass, Johnny's eyes narrowed at him in a hardened glare and Kai found himself glaring back at him for a minute before he realized he wasn't worth his time and tore his gaze away from him.

"Hey catch!" Johnny yelled out as they were about to make the third turn of the track, the ball already spiraling towards Kai's head.

Oliver jumped back quickly, eyes wide from fright and Kai reached up and caught the ball effortlessly before it had a chance to hit either of them. The kids on the track all stopped and turned around, Max and Tyson looked between Johnny and Kai, their mouths slightly open as Kenny seemed to be using them as human shields. The ones playing soccer all stopped their game as did the ones playing jump rope, Johnny's voice having carried across the entire field dragging their attention towards them.

"You got a problem?" Kai bit out, his grip on the ball tightening.

Johnny smirked at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "I do, but it's not with you." He sneered out, eyes moving past Kai to Oliver who was standing behind him.

"Il suffit de laisser. (Just leave it)" Oliver said as he placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, his hand trembling slightly.

"Que diable se passe-t-il? (What the hell is going on)" Kai bit out, his eyes still on Johnny across the field from them.

"You got something to say there? _Fag_." Johnny spat out and before any of them knew what had happened the football had hit him square in the face, Kai's eyes burning as he watched him stumble back from the hit and blood seeped from his nose where the football had got him.

"The hell was that for?!" He yelled out, holding a hand under his chin to catch the blood that spilled out of his nose.

His other friends coming to stand around him as Oliver's hand shook harder against Kai's shoulder, gripping the fabric of his gym shirt. Ray and Lee ran over to them, having been watching everything, Tyson and the other two of their group quickly running over beside Kai and Oliver as well as the other nearby students seemed to gather around closer anticipating a fight.

"You want to say that again?!" Kai bellowed out and tried to step forward but couldn't as Oliver held him back.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Johnny yelled back, Robert and Enrique coming to stand beside him.

"I don't give a shit who you were talking to, you better watch your fucking mouth!" Kai bit back, finally pulling himself out of Oliver's hold only for Tyson and Ray to grab him from both sides and stopping him once again.

"It's not worth it Kai." Tyson warned quietly, his voice trembling.

Johnny seemed to like the idea of a challenge and stepped closer, the other two of his group following him. They stopped at the edge of the grass that met the orange concrete of the track, only a foot away from the others. Johnny held Kai's gaze again, his own fire burning in his eyes as a smirk crossed his lips.

"Let him go guys, let's see if he's as bad as he talks." Johnny said with an arrogant air of confidence in his voice with a tilt of his chin, looking down his bloodied nose at them.

Kai growled in his throat, the fire unquenched and he pushed against the others who struggled to hold him back but were able to keep him from moving much.

"Kai. Stop it." Ray ordered in a hiss, his grip on his right shoulder and front of his shirt getting tighter as he dug his heels into the ground incase Kai tried to go at Johnny again.

"The hell is your problem?" Kai growled out.

"Who said I had one?" Johnny said with a sarcastic shrug of his shoulders, "I just don't like fags."

"Johnny…" Enrique said barely above a whisper, looking uncomfortable behind him.

"What? Doesn't it disgust you? I mean, I thought he was our friend! And now we have to worry about him checking us out in the locker rooms!" Johnny said and motioned past Kai at Oliver who had seemed to shrink behind the others that had gathered around him and Kai.

Kai didn't miss it, finally it clicking on why everyone was acting so weird today and what this was all about. It still didn't make his anger wash away, if anything it only fueled his fire. The others didn't know about him, he didn't want them to know and they didn't need to know, but Johnny needed to be put in his place.

"It's disgusting! You should be disgusted by this the most Enrique." Johnny continued and it clicked more in Kai's head; Oliver liked Enrique and it seemed that Enrique didn't return the same feelings.

"You're the disgusting one!" Ray bit out angrily, his grip on Kai slightly laxing and everyone turned to him with wide eyes, except for Kai as he kept his attention on Johnny.

"How so Ray?" Johnny asked, looking unfazed by the new challenger.

"He's your friend! And you go and talk to him like _that_! _You're_ the ones who are disgusting, not Oliver."

"Ray…" Oliver's voice came out from behind them, but they weren't sure if it was for him to stop or a quiet thank you for sticking up for him.

"How dare you talk like that about him and use such a foul word. Have you no shame?!" Max was the next to step up, feeling emboldened by Ray and Kai.

"He's the one that should be ashamed!" Johnny spat back.

"No he shouldn't!" Tyson came in next, finally letting Kai go since it seemed he had stopped trying to go for Johnny. "You guys have known each other since you were kids, and this is how you treat him?! You're not friends, you're just a bunch of assholes!"

"Do none of you care that he could be checking you out while changing? That he might try and attack you?!"

"Do you even hear yourself? How stupid can you possibly be?!" Ray yelled back at him.

"I'm just being honest, who knows what kind of sick ideas run through his head now." Johnny defended.

Kai heard Oliver sniff behind him, clearly in tears now, and he had had enough of this back and forth. With the other two busy arguing their hold on him was gone now and with nothing holding him back he went for Johnny and they were too slow to stop him a second time, his fist coming across Johnny's face and it knocked him clean out as he hit the grass.

"KAI!" The other's shouted in surprise, and the other students that had been a good distance away all gathered around quickly but Johnny didn't move.

Robert stepped up, standing taller than Kai but that didn't faze him. "I don't intend to fight you, so back down." Robert ordered in a stern tone, his own red eyes boring down into Kai's.

"Next time you should muzzle your pup." Kai scorned back as he shook out his wrist as Johnny finally came to, Enrique down beside him and jumped back as Johnny got to his feet swinging at thin air, clearly dazed out.

"The hell did you go?!" He shouted, his fists still swinging at nothing.

"That is enough Johnathan." Robert's voice boomed out and Johnny stopped, spinning around to face him and his cheek and chin were already swelling where Kai had hit him.

"I will not have you embarrass us anymore."

Johnny slowly lowered his fists, glaring at Kai once he finally could see him more properly. "This isn't over." He growled out, following after Robert as he made his way through the crowd that had gathered and then parted for them to walk through.

Enrique stayed back for a minute, eyes meeting Oliver's who quickly looked away from him with tears running down his face.

"Keep moving." Kai ordered in a deadly tone and Enrique obeyed, rushing after the other two.

"The hell was that?" Tyson asked once the rest of the crowd dispersed and they were alone.

Kai ignored him and turned around to face Oliver who couldn't look at him, "Est-ce que tu vas bien? (Are you alright)" He asked in a gentle tone.

"Oui, mais vous n'aviez pas à faire ça. (Yes, but you didn't have to do that)" Oliver answered in a shakey voice, still avoiding Kai's eyes.

"Il l'avait vu venir. (He had it coming)" Kai answered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Vous n'êtes pas seul cependant. (You're not alone though)" He said and Oliver's head snapped up to him, not taking long to realize what Kai had meant and a small smile crossed his fair lips.

"Merci mon ami. (Thank you my friend)" Oliver said as he wiped his tears from his eyes, his smile only getting bigger.

Kai nodded to him and ignored the questioning stares the others were giving the two of them and started to walk down the track, Oliver coming up beside him with a slight bounce to his step now. Ray watched them go, his own small smile on his lips as he could only guess what they had said to each other.

"Did anybody understand what they said?" Tyson asked as the two walked away from them, looking the most confused out of the rest of them.

"If they wanted us to know, they would have spoken English." Max laughed a little behind his hand.

"C'mon guys, bells about to ring." Lee called, following after the other two and the rest followed behind him.

"McGregor! What happened to your face?" The coach asked, looking up from his phone as the students started to gather at the gate for the bell.

"Football sir…" Johnny answered with grit teeth.

"Well have the nurse take a look at it." The coach said and pushed on Johnny's back to get him moving before the others, Robert and Enrique staying back.

The rest of the class gathered the equipment they had been using back into the carts and followed after the coach back into the gym, Oliver staying right beside Kai the entire way until they had to part for their own lockers.

Once they had all changed back into their normal clothes his group and Oliver followed after him out into the halls to get to their lockers, all in a silent camaraderie. Outside Oliver thanked Kai once more in French and wished him well before going off to his own car, Kai just silently nodding to him and watched him go.

The others around him were already heading towards Lee's SUV in the parking lot, Tyson and Max talking about the shiner that Johnny was going to have on the side of his face while Kenny was trying to explain that Kai was lucky the coach hadn't been paying attention or he would have gotten suspended. As they reached Lee's truck Ray stopped and grabbed Kai's jacket sleeve and he stopped, the others still walking past them.

"Kai…" Ray said, his golden eyes slightly wide as they were focused on something past them.

Kai followed Ray's gaze and his heart sank to his toes as crimson met teal across the parking lot, taking in the smirk Brooklyn was wearing even a good distance away as he was leaning against the front of his car. Ray's fingers tightened around Kai's jacket as Brooklyn met his eyes, his smirk twisting up more into something more wicked and his own heart sunk a little.

"The hell is he doing here?" Ray asked quietly, not looking away from him.

"Just go with the others." Kai ordered and went to go to Brooklyn but Ray held him back once more, causing Kai to turn and give him a sympathetic look.

"It's alright." He said, taking Ray's hand off his jacket sleeve.

"You don't have your phone, what if you need help?" Ray said in a quiet voice, not liking the idea of Kai going off with the man. He had a bad feeling about him since the first time he met him but didn't know why.

"I'll be fine, but I don't want him to know where you live so go."

Ray's eyes widened slightly at that, "Why would it matter if he knew?"

"Don't worry about it, just do what I say and go." Kai answered him harshly, giving him a look that told him to keep his mouth closed.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on, why is he here?" Ray asked, not backing down.

"Ray." Kai barked causing the other teen to jump a little where he stood, "Just go, I'll tell you another time." He said a bit more calmly.

"Fine… Take this." He said and discreetly handed Kai his own cellphone. "You call somebody if you need help, I don't like that look he keeps giving you." Ray said as his own eyes moved past Kai and back to Brooklyn who was still watching them from across the parking lot.

Kai pocketed the phone in his jacket pockets just as discreetly and nodded to him, "Tell Natasha." Kai said quietly and turned away from him, walking past the others who had stayed back beside Lee's truck unsure of what was keeping the other two.

"Kai, where you going?" Tyson asked he walked past him, not getting a look back.

"Tyson." Ray called just as Tyson was about to call for Kai again and grabbed his attention, shaking his head at him to just let Kai go.

All of them watched him go without a word as he stepped up to the mystery man, and Ray's stomach tightened as he watched the man pull away from the hood of his car and put and arm around Kai's shoulders and directed him to his car where he opened the passenger door and shut it once Kai was inside the car.

Ray's fist clenched at his sides, grinding his teeth as Brooklyn turned around and sent him another twisted smirk with a wink before he walked around the front of his car and got in himself and drove away.

* * *

 **So, something else I pulled from something my friends and I experienced in school was this boy we knew had a crush on another boy, they weren't friends before, but had the idea of Oliver and Enrique for it based on what happened and they're like one of my other ships for Beyblade. Some of the dialogue was twisted around but you guys get the idea of what happened there, and it wasn't any fun but our group did stand up for him. Oliver will be coming into the story a bit more now, and once again I used google translate for the French.  
See you guys Monday, hope you like that cliff hanger! **


	10. Out of the Shadows

**Welcome back, hope you all had a great weekend! Without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 10- Out of the Shadows

"What do we do?" Lee asked as Ray climbed into the truck after having watched Brooklyn's car drive off.

"Who was that?" Tyson asked as he turned around in his seat.

Ray bit his lower lip, he didn't want to be the one to air Kai's dirty laundry to the others or expose his secret. But he couldn't shake off the bad feeling he got, that man scared him like no other and he didn't know why. Kai even looked scared to go with him and Ray wondered why he even did, and why had he said he didn't want Brooklyn to know where he lived?! Was he some sort of psychopath, and if he was what did that mean for Kai?

"Earth to Ray!" Tyson shouted in his face causing him to jump back, not realizing he had zoned out on the others.

He blinked a few times, as if trying to focus on Tyson in his face now leaning over the center console of Lee's truck.

"What?" He spat, not meaning to yell but his nerves were working over time on him.

"What's going on dude?" Tyson asked, his voice and eyes going soft. He had never really seen Ray look so lost.

"I don't know." Ray sighed out shaking his head, "I don't know who that was." He lied through is teeth, feeling bad that he had to lie to his best friends.

"Do we follow them?" Max asked from the back with Kenny.

Ray stalled for a minute, why were they looking to him for directions? "N-no… Just take me home Lee." Ray answered a bit more firmly.

"You sure?" Lee asked as he started the truck up, looking over his shoulder.

"What if he's in trouble?" Mariah asked, her voice filled with the same worry Ray felt in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm sure he's fine, he wouldn't have gone with him if he thought he'd be in danger." Ray said with a lighter tone, trying to keep the others calm.

They all settled back down into their seats, the air around them tense as Lee drove them out of the school parking lot and he could feel his hand shaking in Mariah's hold. The moment he got out of the truck, waving at it as it drove down the road with a smile on his face, he dashed towards Kai's home and started to beat on the door like his life depended on it.

It didn't take long for Natasha to open the door, a scowl on her face and her blue eyes piercing until she took in Ray's terrified eyes.

"What's the matter honey?" She went into full mom-mode, stepping back into the house to let him inside and frowned hard when she didn't see Kai.

"Brooklyn took Kai!" Ray blurted out, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"What?!" Natasha's voice boomed and the deadly look returned to her face, "What are you talking about Ray? What do you mean Brooklyn took Kai?" Her voice screeched out.

Ray couldn't stop his body from shaking, his words coming out stuttered. Never in his life had he ever been so scared, he didn't know Brooklyn personally but the man terrified him.

"H-he was there… At our school… He-He took Kai… Kai told me… Told me to tell you." He got out while bile started to rise into his throat. "I-I only know he's Kai's ex… But I don't like him." He said a bit more firmly, trying to get a hold of himself.

Natasha's eyes softened and she put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down, "It's okay honey just breathe a little. Go sit down and relax a little, I have to make a call." She said and coaxed him over to the couch, pushing him down gently to sit where his leg immediately started to bounce.

Natasha couldn't waste time trying to get him to calm down and left him sitting there as she walked to the kitchen where she pulled out her phone and dialed her husband's number. In a hushed breath she gave a quick run down of what was going on and that he needed to come home, once she got the okay from Micah she hung up the phone and walked back into the living room. Ray looked a little better, at least his leg had stopped bouncing, but he had looked up at her with worried filled eyes.

"I promise Ray, Brooklyn isn't going to hurt him." She said, though it didn't sound convincing even to herself.

"Why did he take him? Kai broke up with him, what does he want?" Ray's questions slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"What all did Kai tell you about him?" Natasha asked calmly, a little surprised that Kai had even mentioned Brooklyn to Ray at all.

"Not much, just that he's his ex and that he broke up with him before he moved here." Ray answered as Natasha sat down beside him on the loveseat. "I just… I didn't like the look he was giving him… Kai said he didn't want him to know where I lived, and then told me to tell you. I gave him my phone." He added quickly.

Natasha nodded, it wasn't her place to tell Ray about Kai and Brooklyn's past and she didn't need to throw him into another frenzy with all the details. It pained her, having to lie to him but it was for the better.

"It's okay, you two did the right thing. Thank you, for coming to me." She said as sweetly as she could, not wanting to upset him anymore.

"I shouldn't have let him go… I'm so sorry." Ray choked, not sure why there were tears in his eyes.

"Ray, sweetie, please. It's going to be alright." She said in a soothing voice, he was nothing like the boy she had met over the weekend now and she didn't like it.

Ray went to speak when the front door burst open, the two of their heads snapping to see Tala come into the house. Another boy following behind him, both of them with a deadly look on their faces that froze the second their eyes clocked on Ray.

"Ray… What're you doing here?" Tala asked, his voice strained from having to get past his anger.

"It's okay Tala, he knows." Natasha said softly, meeting her sons eyes and he nodded to her as he stepped into the house more as the boy behind him shut the door.

"Has he called?" Tala asked, his voice sounding desperate.

Natasha shook her head at him and now Ray's head was swimming again, his nervousness and worry kicking up a notch.

"We can go look." The boy that had come in behind Tala said, his voice deep and it shook Ray to the core.

"That's okay Bryan." Natasha said softly and then motioned with her head for the other two towards the kitchen, standing up and following after them quietly.

Ray had watched them go, straining his ears to hear what they may be saying but couldn't. He let out a long drawn out sigh as he sat back into the couch, running a hand down his face as he tried to calm himself down.

"Ma, what're we going to do?" Tala asked in a hushed voice, his eyes hard again as anger ripped through him.

"We have to wait and see what happens. I already called your father, which I'm sure you know since you're here." Natasha answered back quietly.

"Yeah, he called and just gave me a brief rundown of what's going on. Did he really go with him again?" Tala asked, looking more surprised than angry.

"He picked him up at his school… According to Ray he told him to go without him because he didn't want him to know where Ray lives." Natasha said in a hushed whisper.

"How did he even figure out where he was going to school?" Tala hissed out angrily, his fists clenching at his sides.

"I don't know, but after this we're putting a restraining order on him." Natasha answered.

"I thought you already did?" Bryan piped up beside Tala.

"We tried, but it fell through." Natasha answered in a sigh before she clenched her teeth. "The son of a bitch, does he not realize that he can jeopardize everything we're doing for Kai?" She bit out angrily.

"He doesn't care about anyone but himself Ma." Tala said gently and put a hand on his mother's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It'll be alright."

"I really hope so…" Natasha breathed out, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Tala went to speak again when his phone made a noise and he reached into his pocket, pulling it out and eyeing the unknown number for a second before opening up the message.

"It's Skittles." He gasped, his eyes dancing over the message again quickly. "He said he's on the other side of town. Bryan, let's go." He barked out like he was a drill sergeant, stuffing his phone into his pocket quickly before marching towards the front door.

Bryan followed after him quickly, the two of them by-passing Ray without a word and the door slammed shut behind them. Natasha stepped back into the living room with a cup of water for Ray, handing it him with a soft smile.

"He's okay, they're going to get him now." She said as she sat down beside him, putting a hand on his back where she gently rubbed it for him in a soothing gesture.

Ray's eyes widened, "I should go with them." He said quickly and went to get up but was held down by Natasha grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to stay on the couch.

"No, you stay right here with me until they get back." She commanded in her motherly tone and he nodded to her.

He didn't like the idea of having to wait again but there was nothing he could do now, at least they knew where he was. That he was safe and they were bringing him home.

It felt like forever before they came back, all the worst possible things having run their course through Ray's head as he sat there waiting. Natasha had gone silent on him, shifting away from him to give him space, and he downed his glass of water within minutes.

The door opened again and they both jumped to their feet as Kai stepped into the house, his head hung where his bangs covered his face. Tala and Bryan stepping inside behind him, both of their eyes soft and heavy at the same time as their lips were in hardened frowns. Natasha looked between Kai to Tala and her own frown came to her face, though she wasn't ready to speak, not sure what to say at the moment with Ray standing beside her. Ray didn't have the same thoughts as her though and he rushed around the couch and arm chair to get to him, throwing his arms around him without warning.

"Oh my God you scared the shit out of me!" He cried as he pulled back from him, holding onto Kai's arms in a shaky grip.

Kai's head had snapped up from the sudden intrusion of his personal space, the others were also taken back from it but still had no words to say. Ray looked him over quickly, he looked fine and his heart swelled more inside his chest.

"I'm okay…" Kai finally found his voice, it coming out low and quietly as he met Ray's eyes.

"I didn't know what to think… You shouldn't have done that!" He scorned and the other's eyes widened at the two of them now, not sure what to expect next.

"You scared the others and me, what were you thinking going off with him?!" He yelled again, his voice getting higher pitched.

Kai could only blink at him a few times, his brain having to try and register what exactly was happening right now. "Ray… I said I'm fine." He tried again, though the angry look in Ray's eyes only intensified.

"And what if you weren't? What if he hurt you, or worse?!" He snapped at him again and hit his arm. "You can't just up and go off like that!"

Natasha cleared her throat a little, Ray and Kai's heads snapping towards her as embarrassment washed over Ray quickly. He gave her an apologetic smile and stepped back from Kai, he had forgotten about the others there.

"Sorry…" He mumbled sheepishly.

"It's okay honey, but if you don't mind?" She asked as she nodded towards the door.

"Of course." He said without hesitation and went towards the door where he picked up his backpack, Tala and Bryan having moved out of his way to let him through.

The four watched him go as he gave an awkward wave to them before shutting the door behind him. Once he was gone Natasha turned her attention on Kai and motioned to the armchair to her left, Kai got the hint and dropped his own backpack on the floor where he stood before doing as she commanded. Tala and Bryan followed him, sitting on the loveseat against the wall that faced him. Natasha sat back down on the couch and a silence began to loom over them, neither sure what to say just yet as they were still more relieved to see that he was alright.

"What happened?" Natasha finally asked, her words coming out in a soft breath.

"Nothing." Kai answered.

Natasha's eyes hardened on him, "I won't ask again." She asked in a deadlier tone.

"I'm telling you, nothing happened. He picked me up and drove us across town where he dropped me off." Kai explained in a neutral tone, not wanting her to snap at him.

"What did he want? Surely you two talked while he drove." Natasha spat back.

Kai shifted a little in his seat, he didn't like the look she was giving him. With a defeated sigh he ran a hand through his bangs before sitting up a little against the back of the arm chair, his crimson eyes meeting her icy blue ones.

"He threatened Ray's life." He breathed out heavily.

The other's eyes widened in shock at him, Tala's mouth falling open slightly.

"Why?" Natasha asked.

"He thinks Ray and I are dating… I told him that wasn't the case but he didn't want to believe me." Kai explained quietly, "We argued about it until he dropped me off and then sped away. I don't know where he went." He said and then pulled out Ray's phone, fiddling with it for a minute and pulled up an audio clip.

He held the phone out, hitting the play button. The other's held their breath as Kai's hand started to shake a little as Brooklyn's voice came over the speaker.

"That's a nice looking pet you have there."

"He's not my _pe_ t." Kai spat back.

"Don't lie to me Kai, you know I hate liars." Brooklyn's voice came out vile and cruel, with a darkness behind it.

"I'm not lying!" Kai yelled, his voice sounding desperate.

"Don't make me angry Kai, I'm just giving you a fair warning is all." There was a moment of silence, the only sound coming through the phone was that of the AC and the car's engine.

"What're you talking about?" Kai's voice finally came through, sounding shaky and uneasy.

His hand clenched around the phone a little tighter.

"You are mine, Kai. Always have been and always will be. If he ever touches you. Why. I'll kill him." Brooklyn said in a friendly tone that sent a shiver down everyone's spines, their eyes looking up from the phone to Kai's eyes that were burning with an unquenched rage inside them.

"We're not together Brooklyn! I'm telling you the truth!" Kai's voice came back after another moment of silence, the others hearing the pleading tone clearly.

"Doesn't matter, if he touches you I'll kill him Kai. So, you best keep your distance from him. I'll find out where he lives and slit his throat in his sleep." Kai hit the pause button, not wanting to listen to the rest of it.

His hand was shaking harder as he bit into his bottom lip, Natasha reached over and gently took the phone from him. Not having the heart to keep playing it with him sitting there she turned the phone off, setting it on the side table beside her.

"He won't touch him Kai, I promise you." She said softly and Kai nodded to her, not having it within him to speak. "We'll use this as evidence, to put up another restraining order on him. On you and Ray." She added.

Kai's worried eyes met hers again, his shoulders shaking slightly. "I'm so sorry…" He choked out in a sob, "None of this would have happened if I hadn't gone to him."

"It'll be alright, we'll fix this. For good." Natasha said in a gentle voice, not having it within her to snap at him for his foolishness. He was already paying for it now.

"Go and take a shower, calm down a little and relax." She said, keeping her voice gentle.

Kai nodded and pushed himself out of the arm chair, dragging his feet down the hall to the bathroom. Once he was gone Natasha picked up the phone and sent the audio file to her own phone before deleting it from Ray's, handing it out towards Tala to take.

"Go give this back to him and tell him to give Kai some time before coming back over." She instructed.

Tala took the phone and stood up, nodding to his mother and walked to the door. Bryan followed him out, right on his heel like he had been the entire time. When they reached Ray's front door he knocked on it a few times and stepped back, they only waited a few second before the door flung open and they were met with a short man with a long handle bar mustache.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked as his eyes narrowed.

Tala narrowed his own eyes at the man, Bryan doing the same. "Well hello to you too." Tala bit back.

"Get off my porch before I call the cops." The man hissed angrily and went to shut the door, having it stop short because of Tala's foot wedged between it and the frame.

"You see, that's not going to work as this fine gentleman behind me _is_ a cop." Tala said with a twinkle in his eye and an evil grin on his face.

"Then what do you want?" The man spat back, looking between the two towering men.

"I just want to talk to Ray, is he here?" Tala asked in a sweet innocent voice.

The man's shoulders slumped forward before he turned his head around over his shoulder, calling for Ray in their native tongue. It didn't take more than a few seconds before Ray's head stuck out from behind the back door down the hall, and when he saw Tala and Bryan standing outside his house he bolted out of his room towards them.

He shot something to his uncle in their language, getting a scowl before the man stalked back to the side of the living room where the couches were. Ray rolled his eyes at him before he slipped outside with the older boys, shutting the door behind him.

"What's going on?" He asked the second the door clicked shut behind him.

"Hold on a second there." Tala said as he rose a hand up to stop him spewing out questions a mile a minute, and Ray's mouth snapped shut.

"How much do you know?" Tala asked as he met Ray's eyes.

"Just that he's Kai's ex. I already told your mother this." Ray answered, slightly caught off guard by the question.

"How did you find out about Brooklyn?" Tala asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"When we went out on Saturday, we ran into him at the café before we came home. All Kai told me was the bare minimum, but I didn't like him anymore than I do now." Ray answered as his body tensed.

"Okay… Can you come with us?" Tala asked, quickly eyeing him.

"Let me grab my shoes." Ray said hurriedly and before the other two could say anything back he was already inside his house.

"You said his uncle abuses him?" Bryan asked in Tala's ear.

"That's what Skittles told me." Tala answered back in a whisper, "I don't like that man."

"Hmph, neither do I." Bryan grumbled beside him, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't do anything about it unless Ray asks though."

"He's not going to, you can see it in the way he carries himself."

"Is that why you like him so much?" Bryan asked in a teasing tone.

"Oh don't go and get jealous on me now, he's cute and all but Skittles already got first dibs." Tala said in a joking manner, nudging Bryan in the side.

The two straightened up as the door opened, Ray stepping out again with his shoes on now and a light jacket. Tala gave him a soft smile before he turned around and started to lead them down the stairs, the three of them going to Bryan's car that was parked on the side of the street.

Ray followed quietly, getting in the back of the car as Tala got in the passenger seat, pulling out his own phone and texting his mother that he did what she asked and was heading back out with Bryan. As Bryan started the car up Tala gave Ray his phone back, buckling in as Bryan started to pull away from their homes. Ray fidgeted in his seat, not liking the random silence that came over them.

"Alright, first off. You can't tell my mother that we did this, or Skittles." Tala said over his shoulder.

"Okay." Ray answered, slightly feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

Tala smiled at him a little, "Brooklyn is Kai's ex, they dated for about two years. Kai was fifteen and Brooklyn had just turned seventeen, they met because Brooklyn and I used to be friends in high-school." Tala started off, but Ray had already known this information.

"Brooklyn's father is a lawyer, a very _good_ lawyer. He comes from money, _big_ money, and he throws that around thinking he's untouchable. None of us knew what was going on between them at first, Kai hid it really well…" Tala said, his voice trailing off and Ray felt his heart stop for a second.

"We don't even know how long it was going on for either, Kai won't tell us when it started. I only found out because Brooklyn was stupid enough to brag about it to another friend of ours and then it spread around the school like wild fire. Kai was a freshman at our school, and when his secret got out he almost dropped out and then ran away from us.

"Bryan tracked him down and brought him home, oh and by the way he's my boyfriend." He added and Ray just nodded, already having figured it out.

"Anyways, when Bryan dragged his ass back home it was like world war three. He didn't talk for months about what was going on, mom and dad tried to stop him from seeing Brooklyn again but that just led to him sneaking out all the time." Tala said with a tense voice.

"Is that why you guys moved?" Ray asked carefully.

"Part of the reason, yeah. My dad got a better position at his job and he snatched it right up to get us away from there, sad thing was is we didn't really move _that_ far." Tala answered back casually.

Ray shifted a little in his seat, "His second day of school I saw him get in Brooklyn's car after we got home, I had asked him if he wanted to come over to do school work but he said he had other things to do." He said, not sure if he should tell him but felt like he should.

"That's why he wasn't there on Friday, and why he got grounded." Tala said over his shoulder, having turned around to look at him. "He showed up at the house around noon with a hangover, mom tore him a new one when he walked into the house." He laughed a little, but Ray didn't see the funny side of this.

"Why did he go back to him, after everything?" Ray found himself asking.

Tala shrugged his shoulders at him, "I couldn't get him to tell me." He lied and Bryan raised a brow slightly that Ray couldn't see, knowing Tala was lying through his teeth.

"What all did he… Did he do to him?" Ray asked, though the look in his eyes said he really didn't want to know.

Bryan pulled the car into a parking space, Ray noticing they had stopped at a park that was about a thirty minute drive from their homes. Tala unbuckled and turned around in his seat to face Ray, Bryan stepping out of the car as he left it on.

"He abused him. Physically, mentally… Sexually…" Tala said quietly, his blue eyes reflecting the anger and hurt he felt for his brother.

"Why wasn't he put in jail?"

"We tried, but like I said. His father is a lawyer, so the charges were dropped because the evidence ended up 'disappearing.' Kai didn't want to have to go through another court battle, the first was one hard enough on him and my parents obliged. A few months later my father got the job offer and we moved, we thought Kai had cut all ties with him but it seems like we were fooled. Again." Tala said as he rested his chin over his hands that were holding onto the back of the chair.

Ray nodded, feeling like that was about all he could do now. His heart hurt for him, knowing only part of the kind of pain he felt. He never thought it was that bad, but it explained the scars he had seen.

"Those scars on him… Are they from him?" He asked quietly as his head dropped, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

"Some of them, but not all." Tala answered just as quietly and Ray's head shot up again.

Someone else had hurt him? Tala could already see the question in Ray's eyes and sighed heavily, he shouldn't have been the one to tell him but he was going to.

"Kai's not my real brother, as I'm sure you've figured out." Tala started and Ray nodded, he just thought maybe they were half brothers at best.

"He's a ward of the state, been in the system since he was seven. He's been with my family for four years, and two out of those years he fell into the arms of another man who just wanted to hurt him… Sometimes I blame myself, for having Brooklyn as a friend." Tala said with the same sadness in his voice as before.

"You didn't know what would happen, it's not your fault." Ray said, his voice cracking as he felt tears trying to break forth again.

"I know, but it doesn't help the guilt I feel." Tala said with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I've always looked at him like my little brother and I let him get hurt." He heaved a little, his own tears at the corners of his eyes.

"We'll fix it this time." Ray said and Tala cocked a brow at him.

"We?"

Ray's face flushed a little, he didn't know where that had come from. "I mean… You guys… Right?" He corrected in a slight stutter, Tala not buying it one bit.

"I can only hope so." He decided to let it slide, "You need to watch your back though, I already put mine and Bryan's numbers in your phone. He's a cop. So, if you ever need us just call." Tala said and Ray's eyes slightly widened, though there was more than just one reason as to why Tala had put their numbers into his phone.

"Okay… What exactly should I be looking out for though?"

"This is the second time Brooklyn has seen you with Kai, he thinks you two are something and he doesn't like that." Tala said, feeling it best that he knew.

He wasn't sure how Ray would take it and studied his face carefully as he processed what he had told him, the look on his face barely changed but the look in his eyes did. As if he was prepared to fight a war.

"Alright, I'll keep my head up from now on." He said with an air of confidence that surprised Tala a little, he really liked this kid, Kai was a lucky guy to have met him.

"Mom wants you to give Kai a little bit of space for now, let him come to you when he's ready." Tala added as an afterthought, trying to stay good on his word.

"I can do that." Ray said with a nod of his head then met Tala's eyes again, "Who else hurt him?" He asked, his voice turning deadly.

"His grandfather, but I'll let him tell you that story when he's ready." Tala answered, not liking the heated look Ray was now giving him for only telling him half of it.

Ray went to speak when there was a tap on the window, Bryan standing outside the drivers door.

"We'll take you home now, and don't worry too much about him okay? He's a tough son of a bitch." Tala laughed a little as he turned around and motioned for Bryan to get back into the car, the older male doing as he was told and slipped into the drivers seat.

Ray went quiet, lost in his thoughts about everything Tala had said to him. He didn't think he would hurt this badly from learning about Kai's past with Brooklyn, the curiosity of wanting to know about his grandfather only burning him with more anger.

How anyone could hurt someone like that he didn't understand, he was still trying to figure out why his uncle did the same to him. They were family, family wasn't supposed to hurt you like that. Ever. And yet there they were, two out of possibly millions of others with the same story. The same heartache that gnawed at them daily, wanting to run away from it and not look back while also wanting to know why. Was it something wrong with them? Or was it something wrong with the people that hurt them? He didn't know…

They pulled up to his house and they said their goodbyes before Ray closed the back door of Bryan's car, only to watch them pull up to Tala's house. Ray turned his back on them, an unbearable pain in his heart as he started up the three steps to his home when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He stopped and pulled it out, a small smile coming to his lips as he read Kai's text message.

{Meet me outside after midnight.}


	11. Our Worst Nightmares

**Happy Valentines day everyone, my little gift to you all. Don't worry, I'll have another chapter for you all tomorrow as well as per our arrangement.**

 **Thank you, so so so so so much for all the love and support. Truly means the world to me. Will see ya'll tomorrow, enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 11- Our Worst Nightmares. Wednesday- Thursday October 10th-11th.

Kai had texted him to meet him outside at midnight and at 11:59 he was already outside, wrapped in a heavy coat with his hair down and sitting on his front porch. Golden eyes trained on the house beside him, where they had been locked the moment he stepped out of his own home into the cold October night air.

The minute ticked down and the window to Kai's room lifted and Kai pulled himself out, in his own heavy coat and jeans. The second he righted himself, steadying himself on the stairs his crimson eyes lifted and locked onto gold.

Without a word he pulled the window back down, not wanting to let the cold air in and the hot air out, before he started over to Ray who stood up to meet him halfway. Both with their hands in the pockets of their jackets, a cold wind sweeping past them and blowing their hair in their face.

They stopped just behind the truck that sat in Ray's graveled driveway, a tense silence coming over them as they stared at one another before Kai tilted his head back a little and turned around to go the way he had come from. Ray followed silently, coming to walk in step with him. When Kai wanted to start talking he would and he knew that.

They passed Kai's home and crossed the street that was only illuminated by the street lamps that were on, paced several feet away from one another down the road. While some homes had been decorated for Halloween, the strings of lights left on filled the empty spaces of darkness as they continued down the road.

"What all do you know now?" Kai asked quietly, eyes focused on the sidewalk in front of him.

"Everything." Ray answered back calmly, doing the same as he lowered his head a little.

"Tala?"

"Yeah…" Ray breathed, his heart clenching on him. "I didn't ask, he just told me." He said quickly.

"It's alright." Kai said and Ray grabbed his arm, halting their steps.

"Is it?" Ray asked as he looked up at him, his fingers still holding onto his arm as Kai turned to look at him.

"It will be." Kai answered, his crimson eyes flashing with something that caused Ray's mouth to go dry.

He didn't like that look in his eyes no more than he liked Brooklyn.

"What did he want, did he hurt you?" Ray asked and his arm started to tremble, his fingers only digging into the fabric of Kai's jacket harder.

"I told you I'm fine." Kai said, the look in his eyes gone as his face softened.

Ray nodded, but he still had yet to let go of him and he didn't know why. "But what did he want with you? How did he find you?"

"He just wanted to give me a message, and he must have followed me one day." Kai sighed out, not liking all the questions but had been expecting them.

"C'mon." He said and pulled himself out of Ray's hold, starting back down the sidewalk.

Ray went after him, shoving his frozen fingers back into the warmth of his pockets as he put his head back down. The silence coming back over them, this time without the tension and he was thankful for that at least.

More questions kept floating through his head, his nerves on high alert all of a sudden. What if Brooklyn was following them now? He looked around quickly, they were alone and he sighed out heavily with relief.

"Natasha and Micah are going to put a restraining order on him, he won't come near you." Kai's voice floated past through him and he stopped again, this time not having grabbed at Kai to stop him.

"Why?" Ray asked, his heart beating against his chest as if he had just run track.

Kai stopped a few feet away from him and looked over his shoulder at him, they had made it almost three blocks from their homes now even though it felt like they had walked farther than that.

He didn't know what to tell him though. He didn't think telling him his life might be in more danger than it already was would be a good start, but if Tala had already told him everything about his history with Brooklyn there wasn't much left he could keep from him.

"Because he might try to hurt you."

"You mean kill me?" Ray corrected and Kai didn't miss the anger in his tone, or the way his body had tensed.

"I won't let him." Kai said in the same angry tone, his own body tensing up on him.

"How? You can't protect me all the time Kai, I don't need a body guard. And to have a restraining order on him I'd have to be there to make it, and then Stan would have to be pulled into this and that will only cause more problems." Ray said, his voice still holding the anger within it and his body shook again at the thought of it all.

"What do you want me to do then? Just let him have the ability to come after you?" Kai asked as he stepped towards him, not even sure why he was bucking up against him.

"Let him try." Ray growled out, "He'll learn real quick not to mess with me."

"You don't know what he's capable of, that's foolish of you!" Kai shot back, his voice rising as he stepped closer to him.

"It was foolish of you to go back to him!" Ray bit back and the second the words registered in both their heads he looked ready to take back what he had said, but it was too late.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Kai didn't miss a beat though, the anger in his gut swirling as he was about to lash out at him.

He was tired of having it all dangling over his head, he knew he had created this mess and all he was trying to do was right the wrongs now. He didn't want to see Ray get hurt, even if he didn't feel for him, it would just be cruel to sit back and not try to keep him safe.

"I can't take back what happened, all I can do is try to make sure he doesn't hurt you in the process!" He yelled, having to force himself away from him before he hurt Ray himself.

"A restraining order isn't going to be enough, not for people like him." Ray breathed out, trying to calm himself down as he ran a hand through his bangs. "He got around the first one, what makes you think this one would work?" He asked as he met Kai's eyes again.

Kai shrugged at him, he really didn't think it would but Natasha and Micah were set on doing it. They had even talked about going to Ray's uncle with the audio tape to get him on board with it and get the ball rolling, which meant more court dates and more digging up the past he had tried to bury.

That was another thing he had wanted to talk to Ray about, the rest of his past that he had buried even deeper than his history with Brooklyn. He was sure that Ray had seen them and that was why he had shown him his, but he had to make sure.

Maybe it was a way of him trying to get him to leave on his own, show him that he was too damaged to be around even just as friends.

"Did you see them?" He breathed out heavily as he held Ray's golden gaze, his breath catching in his throat as he waited for his answer.

"See what?" Ray asked, part of him knew what he was asking while the other was wanting him to say it himself.

Kai's eyes narrowed down at him, his fists clenching inside his pockets. He hated it when Ray would answer his questions with another, he did it too often when he knew the answers already.

"You know what." His voice rumbled out from within his chest.

"Yes, the morning we went on our run I saw them through your window…" Ray finally answered, his shoulders releasing the tension he had within them. "Tala said that some of them were from Brooklyn, the others…" He stopped, his throat clenching up on him again. He didn't want to say it, just like he hardly ever wanted to address his uncle so formally.

"His name is Voltaire… Voltaire Hiwatari." Kai said before another tense silence could come over them.

Ray's eyes widened, he recognized the name but hadn't really put two and two together before.

"Are you serious?" His mouth fell open, staring at him like he had three heads. " _The_ Voltaire Hiwatari?!" His voice strained out.

"Yeah…" Kai answered in a huff, the anger coming back in his gut with more force and Ray's mouth closed as he saw Kai's eyes flare up again; like a fire had been reignited within them.

"You don't have to tell me." Ray said carefully, even though he was aching to know he didn't want to make Kai do something he didn't.

Kai shook his head at him, he was sure he wanted to but now that he had the opportunity to do it his throat clenched up on him and every word he wanted to speak had left him.

Ray had watched him for a minute, studying his face as the silence came over them again and he forced himself to smile at Kai and tugged on his jacket sleeve as he started to walk past him.

"Walk with me." He said as his fingers slipped away from Kai's jacket, already turning around to keep going forward.

Kai followed, after Ray had already gotten a few feet away from him and he rushed to walk beside him again. The silence between them was peaceful, the night air gently blowing around them. They walked close enough that their shoulders brushed, neither caring or willing to pull away since they weren't tripping over each other.

As they already walked two more block away from their home Kai finally found the things he wanted to say to him, back on his mission of letting Ray decide if he was worth being around. He wouldn't blame him if he high tailed it and ran away without looking back or a second thought, he'd do the same.

"My parents died when I was five, in a car accident. I had survived but had been in the hospital for almost an entire year, I had even spent my birthday there and the only one who came to visit me was the housemaid. She gave me a cupcake with a candle in it and she sang me happy birthday." Kai's voice was low and quiet, his eyes back on the darkness ahead of him.

Ray didn't say anything but his heart was already breaking for him.

"When I was discharged I was thrown into Voltaire's home… He had always been a decent man before, when my parents were alive, but the longer I stayed there the more I realized that he wasn't the same man anymore.

"I had always thought that it was because he had lost his son and then was tasked with having to raise me on his own, but that wasn't the case at all. He was just a sick bastard who got a kick out of doing what he did to me." He growled out low and his back tensed on him again, the anger flaring within him.

"I remember the first time he had ever raised a hand at me, sometimes when I close my eyes I can still see it as clear as when it had happened…" He said, his voice only getting lower and darker, and Ray knew exactly what he meant as it was the same with him.

"Looking back on it, I don't think what I had did really warranted that kind of reaction from him… Nothing I ever did was worth what he chose to do to me… I was six and had been living with him for three months and I had asked to go see my parents. I had been told what happened, I understood what had happened and I had yet to see where they had been buried. All I wanted to do was go and talk to them…" Kai continued on, their steps still falling in sync with the other.

Ray bit back the tears, if Kai was anything like him then he wouldn't want the pity.

"He used the back of his hand, it was bigger than my face at the time and he still hit me with it. When I fell back it was into the mantle of the fire place and it broke my arm, when the cast came off he held me against a wall by my neck and threatened to kick me out if I wasted anymore of his money on such stupid things as broken bones." He scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"Why did they let you go back with him?" Ray asked, his voice wavering.

"He told them I fell down the stairs." Kai answered as they made a left turn at the end of the street they were currently on, walking towards the fenced in playground that was dark and abandoned.

Ray continued to follow him towards the swings where they each took one, the cold seats seeping through their jeans and the chains almost burning their hands when they touched them, but neither got up.

Ray started to kick his feet a little, twisting himself around on the swing as Kai pushed himself forwards and then letting the swing carry him backwards as the tips of his feet dragged through the wet grass.

"I had made sure to stay away from him as much as possible and of course that wasn't good enough either, and he let me know it. A lot of times he tried to tell me that he was just grooming me, that what he was offering me was tough love to get me ready for the real world… And I believed him." Kai continued on, breaking the silence once more as the chains to the swing he was on started to squeal as he kicked back harder.

"The difference between him and Stan is that he didn't care if other people saw, he probably got a real kick out of it when the teachers asked him what kept happening to me and lied to them right through his teeth about it every time." Kai said as his voice got dark again, keeping his head down as he watched his feet dig through the ground.

"I was seven, starting a new grade and had made a friend the year before. Voltaire didn't know I had this friend who I told everything to, not knowing that his parents had overheard us through the baby monitor they had for his baby sister."

"How were you at his house if Voltaire didn't know about him?" Ray asked as he had stopped twisting himself around on his swing, his attention having been on Kai since he started talking again.

Kai looked up at him with a smirk on his face, "I've always been pretty good at doing this." He said and gestured to the empty park, "He worked late on weekends at the office, the staff was always gone and I knew when to be back. My friend only lived down the road, wasn't that far of a bike ride to get there. I always showed up with extra clothes, telling his parents that I had permission to stay the night with them and be gone before any of them woke up."

Ray nodded, a bit surprised that even at such a young age Kai had already been pretty mischievous and that smart.

"Though, that morning when I woke up his parents were waiting for me downstairs with the cops. I didn't know what to do or think as they kept asking me questions, the mother coaxed me into showing them…

"They hauled me off to the police station where another woman took pictures, I'm guessing at that time they were already writing up an arrest warrant for him. A lot of it happened so fast that I don't remember everything, but next thing I knew was that I was standing in front of another old man who was barking out questions left and right at me.

"Through it all I could feel Voltaire staring at the back of my head and at first I wanted to lie and I was going to but I didn't." Kai finished off, the smirk widening on his face as if he was still proud of what he had done and Ray didn't miss the look on his face or the way his tone had changed. He was proud of him to.

"They took me away after that and I bounced through all different types of homes after that… When I was eight he got his hands on me again though… I don't remember how or why but somehow he had fought the courts, probably paid them off, but I lived with him for another year up until I was nine and I had ran away.

"I lived on the streets for less than two weeks, getting caught trying to steal my next meal from a convenient store. When the officer pulled up my record he recognized me, since he was one of them that had been there that morning at my friends house. Somehow he worked around the system to get me back out, which meant another slew of court hearings and then he applied to become my guardian." Kai finished, giving himself some time to breathe and let his words sink in.

Ray wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened next, not with the way Kai's voice had changed nor with the look that was now in his eyes. His heart had already been racing in his chest, having skipped a beat or two through it all, but now it was starting to hurt. He could feel himself trembling and it wasn't from the cold, he almost asked Kai to stop. That he didn't want to know more but he didn't say anything, keeping his mouth closed as he waited for him to continue.

"On my eleventh birthday he was shot on the job, pronounced dead at the scene and the man who killed him committed suicide right after." He said in a shaky breath, his hands tightening around the chains to his swing as the first set of tears broke through and rolled down his chilled face.

"I was thrown back into the system and bounced around again until I ended up with Natasha and Micah four years ago, and two years after living with them I met Brooklyn." He rose his head up to meet Ray's equally tear stained face, having felt him watching him the entire time.

"I know you have probably heard this through out most of your life, but Kai… I am so sorry…" Ray's trembling voice came out, the tears still rolling down his face.

"It's alright…" Kai said in an equally trembling voice, "I've survived, that's what I am." He choked, though it sounded like a mechanical response to Ray and one that he had told himself often.

"Half of the scars are from him while the others are from Brooklyn, but I've honestly lost track of which ones belong to who now…"

"Have you ever… Yourself?" Ray asked, not sure if he should ask but felt like he should.

Kai shook his head, "No, I've never harmed myself… You?" He asked, finally wiping the tears from his face now that they had stopped.

"Before I met the others I did." Ray answered as his mimicked Kai's actions, choking on his words a little. "I'm not proud of it, but I had told myself that if someone had any right to mark my body it was for me to do."

Kai nodded like he understood but really he didn't, and he thought better of getting on his case about it as long as he had stopped. He didn't think he could handle worrying about his safety anymore than he already was.

"Monday you weren't at school… What happened?" Kai asked, his heart clenching on him again.

"I stayed home to clean up the mess." Ray answered as he met Kai's eyes, holding them until he saw it click. "It wasn't much, but it was hard to sit or lay down and I didn't want to raise suspicions amongst the others."

Kai found himself nodding once more, his hands tightening their hold on the chains that had warmed up under his hold. The anger swirling in his gut as well as the guilt he felt. He could have stopped it but didn't, could have gone over later to check on him and he hadn't.

As if Ray had been reading his mind he stood up and went over to him, putting a hand just above Kai's on the chain to the swing he was sitting on.

"You wouldn't have been able to help, and I like being left alone after it happens. I even sent Mariah home when she showed up after school." He said with a small smile, not liking that murderous look that had appeared in his eyes again.

"It still doesn't help…" Kai bit out, turning to look away from him as his heart slammed in his chest with how close Ray was standing beside him now.

"I told you, I'll take care of it." Ray said as if he was telling him the weather, moving behind him and gave him a gentle push.

Kai dug his feet into the ground, not liking the idea of being pushed on the swing like he was a child. His face heating up at the touch that had sent a shockwave down his back, thankful that it was dark and Ray was behind him where he couldn't see him. Very aware that Ray was glaring at the back of his head now from having put a stop to his brief bout of fun.

"We should be getting back home…" Kai said but didn't make a move to leave.

He about jumped out of his skin when Ray's hands rested over his, goosebumps raising along his skin as Ray's bangs tickled his neck and his hands gripping the chains tighter as Ray pulled him backwards on the swing. This time he raised his feet up a little, crossing them at the ankles so they wouldn't drag along the grass again.

"I know, but where's the fun in that?" Ray asked as he had pulled him as far as he could, letting Kai go with a push on his back again.

"I'm still grounded." Kai said, not having it in him to stop himself this time. His back being pushed on again as he swung back towards him.

"They gave you your phone though, that's a good sign." Ray chuckled as he watched him swing out ahead of him, letting him come back one more time where he pushed on his back harder before he rushed over towards the swing he had occupied earlier.

He kicked off quickly, matching Kai's speed as he threw his legs out and pulled back. Kai watched him for a second, getting the upper hand against him before he got into it with him.

"Only when I'm at school." Kai decided to tell him, "I snatched it out of Natasha's hiding place after you left."

"You really are a deviant, aren't you?" Ray chuckled as he shook his head a little, his long hair lifting up against the wind and falling around him as he kept swinging higher and higher.

"That reminds me, what did you tell Oliver yesterday after you knocked Johnny's lights out?" He asked, his laughter getting the better of him.

"That he deserved what he got and that he wasn't alone." Kai answered as he became fixated on watching Ray's hair following his every move, like it was a dark wave of an ocean washing over his back.

"So you told him?" Ray asked as he started to slow down, seeing Kai doing the same.

Kai just nodded to him, having come to a complete stop now and Ray dug his feet into the ground to still himself. A coy smirk worked it's way over Ray's lips as he looked at him, some of his hair falling over his shoulders.

"You going to ask him out?" He asked, looking like an excited child.

Kai rolled his eyes at him, he should have seen that question coming a mile away.

"No." He huffed and pushed himself off the swing, Ray jumping after him.

"But you two would be so cute together." Ray tried to reason and somehow it sounded no different, or better, than when the others had tried to tell him the same thing at lunch about him and Julia.

"Not my type." Kai shook his head at him, his own smirk coming to his pale lips.

"Should still ask him to the dance this Saturday." Ray tried again, falling back in step with him as they walked through the open gate to the playground and back onto the sidewalk.

"I'm not going…" Kai sighed out as he stuffed his frozen fingers inside his jacket pockets again.

"But I thought Max bought your ticket?"

"He did… But I can't go…" Kai answered, not wanting to look at him.

"Why not?" Ray pressed in a pout.

"One, I'm still grounded." Kai said as he turned around, walking backwards to face Ray. "And two I have a court hearing on Saturday."

"Oh…" Ray's face fell a little as he adverted his gaze away from him. "What about the game?"

"I'll see what I can do, if I must." Kai said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Yes, you must. If you're going to bail on us this Saturday then you'll have to make it up to us for the next one. Which also means you have to come with me to Tyson's again." Ray added quickly, jabbing a finger into Kai's chest a little.

Kai inwardly cringed at that, but if it meant spending more time with Ray he wasn't going to pass it up. Even after he had told him about his past Ray didn't look like he was ready to bolt away from him, knowing full well that he should but wasn't going to try and push him away again.

"Promise?" Ray said as he stopped, which caused Kai to stop his backwards stroll and he rose a brow as Ray held up his hand with his pinky extended.

"What are we, three?" Kai joked as he stared at him and his outstretched pinky.

"Are you going to promise me or not?" Ray pouted at him, wagging his finger a little to get his attention.

Kai rolled his eyes and sighed, wrapping his own pinky around Ray's who gave their hands a quick shake and smiled up at him.

"There, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Ray asked as he pulled his hand back, quickly stuffing it back into his jacket pockets.

Kai only rolled his eyes as he shook his head at him, turning around and leading the way back to their homes again. The smile on Ray's face didn't leave him the entire way back, having helped Kai climb back through his own window before he went off to his front door and simply walked back inside.

In the comfort and warmth of their own rooms Kai went towards his dresser, shedding his jacket and kicking off his boots as he got ready for bed. Ray sat down at his desk that sat to the right of his door, turning his laptop on and pulled his jacket off as he waited for it to come to life. Kai had pulled his night shirt over his head and snatched a pair of sweats out from his dresser and once dressed went to his bed, crawling under the heavy sheets where he laid on his back staring up at the darkened ceiling.

As Ray's computer turned on he kicked his shoes off underneath his desk, his fingers typing away in the search engine quickly and clicked on the first article he came across. Golden eyes scanned over the screen that had become the only light source within his darkened room, the hardened face of the old man staring back at him and even though it was just a picture it had sent a cold shiver through his body.

He only knew the man by name and reputation, he had a big hand in a lot of dealings from weaponry to oil and foreign affairs. The man was one of the richest people in the world and a monster. Being the same age as Kai he wouldn't have known what happened at the time, but that was why he was looking online at the articles that gave him a bigger picture of what Kai had gone through.

Another cold shiver ran down him, coming up on the article about the police officer who had taken guardianship of Kai. Tears pricked at his eyes, the face of the officer on his screen now staring back at him and Ray thought he looked like a kind man. As he read the article, that was brief with little actual detail about the man since it focused on the shift in where Kai wound up next something caught his eye.

It was the name of the man who had shot the officer and then killed himself, he had seen it on an earlier article and went back to it quickly as his heart sunk into his chest. The names were the same, the only thing lacking was a picture to compare the two but he had worked for Voltaire beforehand, and Ray started to wonder if Voltaire had employed him to do it.

Already making up his mind about it he closed his computer down, he'd never tell Kai this.

Kai rolled over towards his wall, putting his back to his door, as he pulled the sheets closer towards his chin as he tried to will sleep to him. Only to get nothing in return and he threw himself back over onto his back, putting his left arm over his eyes as his right searched out his phone on his night stand.

Ray about jumped out of his skin when his phone started to vibrate inside his back pocket, fishing it out quickly and another smile crossed his face as he looked down at the name.

{Thought you had given the phone back?} He quickly typed out as a reply to Kai's, 'Hey.'

{I never said I did.} Came the response, Kai smirking at the four text bubbles on his phone.

{Shouldn't you be asleep?} Ray typed in, as he got up from his desk and went to his own bed behind him on the other side of the room.

{Too cold.} Kai lied, though Ray wouldn't know any better.

{It was your idea to go out.} Ray smirked, his fingers hovering over his screen as he laid down onto his bed, his legs dangling off the side.

{Did I scare you away?} Kai wasn't even sure why he had sent that but it was too late, his fingers had a mind of their own it seemed and he couldn't stop them in time.

{Was that your plan?} Ray's brow had furrowed, having read the message several times and not really understanding why he would ask him that. Before Kai had a chance to type back to him his fingers quickly went to work against his own screen.

{I'm not going anywhere. So no, you didn't. It'll take a lot more than that to make me leave… The first time it happened to me he had held my up by my hair against the wall, after I had 'back talked' him about my grades. I was seven.}

Kai read it over, having to delete what he had already typed up before Ray's second message had come through.

With his heart slamming in his chest again where he could hear it in his head he typed up another message, only to delete that one again as he was at a loss for words all of a sudden.

He hadn't really wanted to know but felt that it was Ray's own way of testing him to see if he would run off now or not because of the information. While Kai no longer had to deal with it Ray was still over there under the same roof and he didn't like that anymore than he already did.

{Are you trying to scare me off now?} Kai typed back after a minute.

{Did it work?} Ray asked, his heart having sunk to the pit of his stomach.

He wouldn't blame Kai if he wanted to, he hadn't asked to be pulled into his mess and Ray already felt responsible for telling him and having pulled him into it all.

{I'm not going anywhere.} Kai texted Ray's words right back at him, his face getting warmer as he looked at the screen on his phone as his heart hammered in his chest.

"I really wish you would…" Ray breathed out loud to himself, quickly telling Kai goodnight before he shut his phone down and put it on his nightstand before he crawled under the covers of his own bed.

The two laying awake throughout the rest of the night, replaying all they had told one another, how quickly they had become closer and more so than either had really planned on. Neither regretted what they had said and done, for once it was relief to have someone there who understood what they had been battling all along; and in Ray's case alone.

As he lay there his heart rate picked up without warning, his face feeling hot for an unknown reason. He told himself it wasn't like that, didn't want to believe it when he was already in a relationship with someone else…

That night he dreamt of Kai and when he woke up, the dream just as vivid as when he had it, and he vowed to keep his distance.


	12. For the Better

**Hope ya'll had a good Valentines day, if you celebrate it, if not hope you had a good Thursday.  
As promised here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy. **

**Warning: Lime at the end (if you can even call it that.)**

* * *

Ch 12- For the Better. Thursday, October 11th

For the first time since had moved and started his new life at a new school, Kai woke with a slight bounce in his step, even if he hadn't slept long. What had happened the day before in the back of his mind but with the strides he had started to make, the friend he had made, gave him a sense of peace; even if it was small.

He needed it though, they both did, someone they could confide in and look to for help. He wasn't looking for anything more, having Ray around like he already was would be enough for him. As long as he was there that was all he wanted.

Dressed and ready for a new day, having left his hair down again since Ray had said he liked it that way, he greeted his foster parents in the kitchen and grabbed some toast and a cup of coffee, chugging it down and taking the toast out the door with him with a wave goodbye to them.

Natasha and Micah gave one another a curious look, neither not knowing the answer but happy all the same. It was rarely often, especially with a day like the one before, that Kai actually looked happy to be awake.

Outside Ray was sitting on his front porch and he waved at him for him to come over and wait for the others with him, Kai obliged but stood by the last step. The morning was just as cold as the night before, the two of them wearing the jackets they had on only a few hours ago.

Ray looked up at him, as if it was the first time he really was looking at him and his heart started to beat against his chest again. Noticing that his hair was down and wondering if he had forgotten to style it, or if this was a new look for him. The words on the tip of his tongue and he swallowed them down hard, he had made a vow and he was going to make good on it.

Kai stayed just as quiet, a bit taken back at just how quiet Ray was being right now. Maybe he hadn't slept well either, Kai thought, since normally Ray was always the one to initiate a conversation. As the silence lingered over them Kai thought that it was for the better after all that had been said the night before, that they needed to enjoy the silence for once between them; even if he really didn't like it.

Lee's SUV rolled up beside them and Kai stayed back and waited for Ray to go ahead of him, climbing in after and shutting the door once they were buckled in and Lee started towards the school. Kai kept his eyes on the outside world as it rolled by, the others in quiet conversation amongst themselves like always.

He had barely noticed when they pulled into a parking spot, the others already getting out and he followed. His better mood now swiped out from underneath him as Oliver started to walk towards him, seeing the panic in his eyes as he approached.

The others had stayed back, all gathering around the end of the truck to watch what was going on when Oliver gave them all a pleading look. Without words the others left them to it, Ray having looked over his shoulder one last time as an unfamiliar pang of jealousy hit him and it vanished as quickly as it appeared as Mariah wrapped her hands around his arm and led them towards the front of the school.

"I'm so sorry for having brought you into this." Oliver started going a mile a minute the second the others were gone, Kai just staring at him in confusion.

"What're you talking about?" He asked, still staring at him.

"You haven't heard?" Oliver asked in a low whisper, looking over his shoulders around them.

Kai shook his head, "I just got here…" He announced, half hoping that Oliver would get the idea that he had no clue what he was talking about.

Oliver's face fell slightly, as if he just realized it. "Oh, of course my apologies mon ami. You may get called to the principal's office, because of what happened yesterday." He explained as he looked over his shoulders again.

"And?" Kai asked, giving him a bored expression and a tone to match.

Oliver's green eyebrows rose as he returned the look Kai had been giving him earlier.

"What do you mean 'and'? What are you going to tell them, if they call you in there?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders, "That I hit him."

Oliver looked like he didn't like that idea and in turn slapped Kai on the arm, getting a hardened glare.

"You will do no such thing, you have to tell them something else." He said quickly, his voice slightly getting higher pitched.

"Why?" Kai asked, looking more annoyed than anything now.

"Please, just trust me on this okay? Tell them you threw the football too hard and he didn't catch it or something, just please don't tell them that you punched him because of me." Oliver said quickly and Kai could see him slightly shaking, though with the heavy coat and fake fur around the collar and sleeves there was no way it was because he was cold.

"Alright, I won't tell them I hit him. Are you going to tell me why though?" Kai asked as he rose a brow at the shorter boy.

"It's a matter of personal affairs, let's just go with that." Oliver said after a minute or two of silence, Kai's brow slightly rising higher.

"If that's it then." Kai rolled his eyes and went to move past him, stopping when Oliver grabbed onto his hand.

"Do your friends know?" He asked, his voice lowering again as if there were other people there trying to listen in on their conversation.

"No." Kai said as he shook his head.

"My lips are sealed." Oliver said as he gave him a curt nod, letting his hand go.

It wasn't like Kai had half expected to be called to the principal's office, Johnny didn't seem like the kind of guy to let his pride get even more squashed than it already had been. He told the coach he got hit by the football, more than likely that was the story he had told his parents when he got home as well.

Kai didn't care either way, he'd be glad to do it again if it meant knocking Johnny down another peg or two for all he had said about Oliver.

He hadn't really expected it, to have found someone like him in the school but really what did he know about any of them? Though, even with knowing Oliver and him were alike he wasn't fixing to become the best of buds with him. That would only cause other people to talk, and sadly they already were.

When he reached his locker there were stares and quiet whispers behind his back, he didn't care as he was just thankful that the notes that had been appearing in his locker before were not there today.

He grabbed out his Chemistry book, for once actually excited to be going to class. When he stepped in his mood dropped drastically, Ray wasn't there yet. He took up his stool, crimson eyes on the door to watch for him coming in and finally, just before the bell rung, Ray slipped into the room and took his seat beside him without looking at him.

Like always they were tasked with note taking, the teachers rambling going through one ear and out the other as he doodled in notebook more than taking the notes. Every now and then he'd look out the corner of his eyes at what Ray was doing, his pencil quickly scribbling out barely legible writing as quickly as he could. Kai didn't miss it though, the tension that hung between them for an unknown reason and he didn't like it.

What had he done now? He thought the two of them were on good terms now, especially after last night at the park and all they had told one another. Racking his brain to figure it out his mood continued to drop. Maybe he had said too much, had actually pushed Ray away like he had originally wanted to.

Quickly he scribbled on the corner of his doodle covered page and shifted it towards Ray, his heart leaping into his throat as he watched Ray's eyes scan the question and waited what seemed an eternity before Ray slowly nodded.

"Are you okay?"

Kai fought the smile that wanted to come to his lips, taking back his paper and writing out another question before slipping it towards him again, keeping his eyes on the teacher as he did so.

"Then why do you look like your dog just died?"

Like before Ray looked it over and his back tensed slightly before he released a deep breath. Quietly, once he looked away from Kai's paper he scribbled down some more onto his own paper and pushed it towards Kai to read like he had done for him.

"Meet me outside next class, behind the gym."

Kai didn't like the idea of skipping a class but for Ray he would, as long as he could find out what the hell was going on.

With that over now they continued to endure the half hour long class until the bell rang, Ray didn't wait for him and was already heading to the door, swallowed by the other students around him as he ventured out into the hall.

Kai followed after the last remaining students, not wanting to get caught up and having to squeeze through everyone just to get to his locker. He put his Chemistry book away, not bothering to fetch out his English Two book since he was going to be skipping it anyways and wandered through the crowds towards the side doors that would lead him to the outside.

His nerves kicked up on him, he had never done something like this before. Sneaking out at home was different than skipping a class, but he was now on a mission and he wasn't going to fail.

As he rounded the corner of the building that was the gym the faint smell of cigarette smoke caught his senses, his steps getting quicker and more powerful as he turned the final corner and narrowed his eyes. Ray smirked at him, blowing out a small plume of smoke out the corner of his mouth as they locked eyes, not missing the burning within Kai's.

"I thought you quit." Kai said, his voice dark as he stood a small distance from him, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked unimpressed.

"Me throwing an empty packet at you doesn't equate to quitting." Ray said back in a humorous tone, his golden eyes alight with amusement.

"I'm not going to stand here and watch you do this, so either put it out or I'm leaving." Kai threatened angrily, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Fine." Ray rolled his eyes, snubbing the rest out under his shoe before placing the burnt out stick back into the half empty pack.

"Happy now?" Ray asked as he stuffed the pack into his back pocket, hands up defensively.

"What'd you want to talk about?" Kai asked as he nodded, coming closer and leaning his back against the wall to his right.

"What did Oliver want?" Ray asked as he shifted to look at him.

Although the question was a simple one just with a bit of curiosity, there was also something in his tone and the way he looked at Kai that caused his own curiosity to perk up.

"Why does it matter?" Kai asked, meeting his gaze.

"Okay then, don't tell me." Ray snapped back angrily, the two of them both wondering why.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kai asked as he cocked a brow at him, he didn't like this side of him. Not that he had really seen it before, but now that he had he didn't care for it much.

"I'm fine." Ray huffed as he turned to look away from him, a gentle breeze knocking his wrap against the back of his legs.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Kai pressed, feeling that there was something else bothering him.

Ray went quiet for a minute, unsure exactly why he had wanted to talk to him now that he had already asked his question. Maybe that was all he wanted, half of him having expected Kai to answer him with an actual answer instead of another question. With that being what he got, what else was there that he wanted from him?

"I guess…" He finally breathed, turning to meet Kai's eyes that had stayed locked on his person.

Kai's brow arched higher, debating whether he should give in and tell him what Oliver had talked to him about. Finally, after another tense filled silence he shifted against the wall.

"He just didn't want me telling the whole story, if I got called to the office." He breathed out, this time looking away from him.

"Probably because the principal is Enrique's step-mother." Ray added quickly and Kai's eyes shot back to him, brow reaching his hair line. Ray would have laughed at the look, but instead he just shook his head at him.

"The four of them go back, way back further than any of us at this school. All of their families immigrated here when they were all barely three years old, having the money they did they all went to the elite exclusive schools. Where they all met and formed a strong and close bond, though at times due to their own selfishness they come at odds with each other more often than not." Ray started to explain, Kai just standing and listening to him intently.

"Though, Oliver and Enrique have always been the closest out of the four. When Enrique's parents got divorced five years ago he and Oliver just got that much closer, since Oliver's parents had been divorced long before when he turned five.

"What's even more… Ironic? Is that Johnny's father married Enrique's mother, making them half-brothers by marriage. They don't live with each other as Enrique lives with his father, and even though Enrique's step-mother is the principal Robert's father is the School Districts Attorney. Making them all wonderfully and powerfully connected." Ray explained, a small little smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Oliver's father has his hands in other types of politics, on his free time he runs several five-star restaurants, but he's still very good friends with the other's parents. So, I'd assume that if word got out about their groups falling out because of Oliver's sexual orientation… It wouldn't work out very well for any of them, including their parents."

Kai nodded, he really didn't care for the politics of it all but now that he had a better picture of it he was going to do what Oliver had asked of him and not say a word about what happened; if he was asked at all.

"It's kind of sad though…" Ray added quietly and Kai nodded a little with him. "Wish I could do something for him…"

"Not much you can do." Kai said just as quiet, though he really didn't feel the same.

Ray looked at him, the smirk turning into a smile. "Maybe you should stick by him some more, let him know that he really isn't alone."

Kai made a face at him, "I don't need to get dragged into his bullshit."

"You already did that by protecting him yesterday." Ray said, the knowing smile only widening on his face.

Kai narrowed his eyes at him but his words were lost. Ray was right, he had already stepped into another person's mess and he was already regretting it.

"Knowing Tyson and Max it'll just be a matter of time before they invite him into our group anyways." Ray said as if the choice was already made for them all, but Kai only glared harder causing Ray to chuckle at him.

"Well it's true, and like Max said the other day. You're stuck with us."

"Hn, I'm starting to wonder if it's by choice or if you're all holding me hostage now." Kai scoffed.

"You're free to run away, I won't stop you." Ray chuckled back, his heart beating into his chest harder without warning as his face warmed.

"You don't bother me as much as the others do." Kai said offhandedly, quickly looking away from him as his own heart rate picked up and his face burned.

"Well isn't that sweet of you." Ray smirked at him, trying to fight down the blush that was coming to him.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go and he was already kicking himself. He should let Kai go, run away from them all quickly before he made a mess of things like Oliver had done for himself. Not that he still didn't feel bad for the other boy but it was only going to get worse for him, he knew that much and didn't want to join him in that corner.

Kai cocked a brow at him again, not missing the flirtatious tone that only picked his heart rate up. Swallowing around the lump in his throat he peeled his back away from the wall with the intent on leaving, even though the bell wasn't even close to ringing.

"What do you say we ditch this place, just for today?" Ray's words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them, already looking like he wanted to slap himself as Kai gave him a curious look.

"And where do you suppose we go?" Kai asked with a light humor, feeling himself teetering on the edge of something more dangerous than he wanted to admit.

Ray shrugged his shoulders at him before he could stop himself, "Wherever you wanna go."

Kai looked to be in thought for a moment before his own smirk came to his face, shaking his head slightly. "Think we should stay in school, for today at least."

Ray nodded back, looking somewhere between disappointed and relieved. Wondering what the hell had just happened to his brain and why his mouth had run off without him. Slightly grateful that Kai objected but still felt shot down.

"If that's what you want."

"Now whose the deviant?" Kai asked him, his smirk only getting bigger as he met Ray's eyes again.

Ray felt a cold chill run down his back, not missing the glint in Kai's eyes and he swallowed hard. Maybe he was blind, maybe he didn't want to read too much into it, but it didn't help him in wanting to keep up his distance from him now.

What happened to him? Wasn't he happy with what he already had?

He told himself he was, had even told Kai that he was, but that still didn't help the nagging feeling he always had in the back of his mind about his relationship with Mariah.

A year had already gone by and yet he still didn't feel anything for her, not the way a boyfriend should, but that hadn't stopped him from at least trying. He didn't want to lose his best friend if he broke his sisters heart or lose the slight reputation they had for being in a year long relationship like they had been; even though he knew he could live without it and the unending questions that always followed.

The other part he feared was his uncle, knowing full well how he felt about relationships like that. Although Ray always did his best to avoid him lashing out at him, he was also brave and stupid enough to disappoint him when he got the chance, but with something like this it would be too dangerous even for him to handle or to pull Kai into it.

Kai was his friend, nothing more, he didn't want more than that. Is what he told himself, but that didn't work as the other part of him told him he did want more. That part only making him feel worse, he never wanted this, didn't even think it was possible with how little they really knew each other but still felt like they knew everything about the other. At first it was comforting and now it scared him, terrified him even.

Kai was the first, and only, to know about the scars on his back. The kind of pain he had endured half his life, he trusted him and was only emboldened when Kai trusted him back with his own dark secrets.

Maybe it would work, in a different life, but for now he didn't want to cross that line.

"I'm gonna stay out here till after lunch, you can go on ahead." Ray said casually back to him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, the other's will know where I am." He said and was already reaching in his back pocket for his pack of cigarettes, only to have them snatched out of his hand. "Hey!"

"I told you I don't like this." Kai said in a dark voice, eyes narrowed at him and he would have blushed with how close they were but his anger was overpowering the way he felt for the other at the moment.

"Give them back." Ray said, not amused, holding his hand out for his pack again.

"No." Kai said, but he didn't back away from him or crumble the box in his hand like he had originally planned to.

"What are you, my father? They're mine, now hand them over." Ray said still unimpressed, motioning his fingers for his pack again as he held Kai's hardened glare without flinching.

Kai stepped back, pulling one out and handing it to him before he crushed the box in his hand. "That's all you're getting, best make it count." He scorned at him and turned on his heel away from him.

Ray rolled his eyes at him, making a face at the back of his head as he lit it up and stuck it between his lips. The bell going off signaling the end of the period they had skipped, letting his friends go to lunch as he stayed out there in the cold grass with his jacket pulled around him.

By the time the day had ended, Ray having gone back to his classes once lunch was over, and Kai was spared being called to the principal's office. The group crowded into Lee's SUV together like nothing was a miss, and maybe there really wasn't, and Ray was just reading too far into this now than what he thought he should.

Instead of getting out with Kai he went home with Lee and Mariah, Kai watching them go as the familiar stings of jealousy and anger swirled in his gut as the rest of his emotions crashed down on top of him the farther away the SUV drove off in the distance.

It would be for the better, it just had to be.

Quietly, and alone, Kai wandered back into his own home with a completely different mood than what he had that morning when he woke up. Natasha not missing it the second he walked into the house and watched him ignore her as he went down the hall and frowned harder when his door shut hard behind him.

* * *

He kissed her long and hard, his fingers carefully running through her soft pink locks as she sat over his waist. Tongues were wrapped around the other and even though every part of him was alight with a burning fire, knowing full well that Lee was just down the hall thinking that he had gone home hours ago when their parents got there, he still felt nothing.

Not enough to really want more, the only pieces of clothing that had been discarded were their shirts and Mariah's bra. He didn't want to go far for all the right reasons, being a teenage father was not on his list of things he needed to happen to him with everything else going on. Mariah agreed, even if she originally had protested and instead just went along with kissing themselves almost senseless.

That hadn't stopped hands from roaming or the quick jerk or roll of their hips, and the longer Ray stayed under her and he felt nothing than his body's normal reaction, he pictured two-toned hair in exchange for the pink and deep crimson eyes that replaced dull yellow. Pale skin instead of tan and a dark rumbling voice that breathed sweet words into his ear, instead of the lithe and breathy moans of the girl on top of him.

Something snapped, to hell with Lee down the hall and her parents downstairs in their room. With a strong push he rolled Mariah onto her back on her bed, breaking the kiss as she gave him a coy smirk as she could see it in his eyes that he wanted more. While all he could still see was the other boy that had started to invade his every thought.

Now that he had her on her back all he could do was look down on her as the rest of his brain kicked in on him, before he could pull away and get dressed in order to go home she tugged on his arm a little once she realized that he was changing his mind.

"I have condoms." She told him in a soft whisper, tilting her head to her bedside table.

Ray just nodded, the better part of him being pushed towards the back of his head as he reached out and pulled the drawer open as Mariah watched him quietly. Ray's heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest, this would be a first for the both of them and it hit him that much harder when he picked out the foiled wrapper and just stared at it.

This was it and he swallowed hard, he had to do this to get Kai out of his head; not that he'd ever blame someone else for his actions, but it would be better this way if he finally cemented his relationship with Mariah; it had to be.

He lent down, the condom still in his hand, and kissed her again as he felt his heart breaking.


	13. Open Wounds

**Hope ya'll had a good weekend, went by too fast if you ask me.  
As always, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Every little review, little encouragement from ya has really kept me going with this when I honestly didn't have that great of a hope for it.  
** **WARNING:**

 **This chapter maybe a little hard to swallow for some, like always because of the rating of this fic there is nothing in great detail but more of the aftermath with the mention of blood.  
**

 **I promise the sun will start to shine on our boys here soon, as I'm trying to work out some minor kinks in the story line that I had originally written out.**

 **I'll stop blabbing now so ya'll can enjoy!**

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Ch 13- Open Wounds. Friday, October 12th

Friday morning there was no alarm and for once Kai was given the chance to wake up on his own time, though with his mind a mess from the past two weeks he was already up at five in the morning. Cursing everything under the sun for his luck. Obviously asking for one day where he could get a decent nights sleep, as well as sleeping in just a little, was too much to ask.

Even though he had been awake for three hours, it now being eight in the morning and his foster family getting up and ready for the day, he had yet to move from his bed. Having laid there staring up at his white ceiling and the fan, that was currently turned off since it already felt like a freezer in the room, for the past three hours.

His bedroom door opened without warning, Tala poking his head in and smiled at him when he saw Kai staring back before he stepped in further into the room, dressed and ready for his final day of college before the weekend.

"So, what's the plan today?" Tala asked as he placed his hands on his hips, staring Kai down who shrugged at him.

Tala's smile flipped into a hardened frown as he narrowed his eyes at him, "You get to skip school and you're not going to do anything?" He practically whined at him.

"I'm sure I'll find something…" Kai rolled his eyes at him, how or why Tala always found a way to be bright and sunny that early in the mornings Kai would never know.

"Ugh, you've got to be the worst teenager in history." Tala huffed out in another whine, looking like he wanted to pull out his hair.

Kai shrugged at him, he had some homework he could do just to pass the time but beyond that there wasn't much for him to do. If he could he'd go back to sleep but that was nothing more than a pipe dream, even if he felt like the dead.

"Alright, well I gotta go so I'll see you when I get home." Tala said as he turned on his heel, not getting an answer from his brother and slipped out of Kai's room before anymore words were spoken between them.

Kai shuffled down his bed a little, his hands over his stomach as his mind turned into a blank slate. There really wasn't much he wanted to do at all, not with everything that had just crashed down on his shoulders without want or warning. He figured by now Ray and the others were already at school so that left him alone with no one to talk to until the day ended, his week of being grounded was almost up even though he now had his phone back which still did nothing for him since he didn't have any social media accounts.

Outside in the hall he could hear Natasha and Micah talking before his foster father had to leave, and he half expected Natasha to come in and check on him but she never did.

What seemed like a few minutes of just laying on his bed he checked the time, he had been sitting there for another two hours as it was now ten in the morning. He groaned and ran a hand down his face before he pushed himself off his bed, heading for the bathroom to take a shower to try and feel slightly better.

Washed and clean and still not feeling any better he dressed for the day back into his night clothes and headed to the kitchen, he was starving, but when he got in there it was empty. He would have panicked a little, being home alone, but since it made him a little more happy that no one was there to bother him he just went around and grabbed some cereal to eat and took it to the living room to zombie out in front of the TV.

With his legs crossed on the couch, the bowl in one hand and spoon in the other and crimson eyes focused on Gordon Ramsey tearing another one of his contestants a new asshole his phone beside him dinged. He ignored it at first until it went off again and he rolled his eyes, snatching it up after putting his bowl on the coffee table in front of him.

{Where are you two?} It was a group chat between Tyson, Max,Ray, and him. Tyson having been the one to initiate the conversation.

{Not feeling good, sorry.} Was Ray's reply and Kai's heart sunk to his toes.

Without really thinking he bolted off the couch and to the front door, completely forgetting that he was still in his pajamas. The cold air hit him but it still didn't make him go back in and change, instead he rushed across the sidewalk, his feet almost burning with how cold the concrete was against his skin and jumped the three steps to Ray's front porch before he started to throw his fist against the front door.

It wasn't until a few minutes later did it finally hit him about what he was doing, but Ray had already opened the door and gave him a questioning look. In nothing but a pair of black silk basketball shorts with his hair undone, the black locks falling around him and some over his shoulders.

"Kai… What're you doing here?" He asked as he opened the door some more, his golden eyes still slightly wide.

"Why aren't you at school?" Kai countered, a tad breathless.

"I asked you first." Ray said in a teasing tone as he leaned against the door.

"Got the day off because of tomorrow… Are… Are you alright?" He breathed out, hoping to anything that he was actually sick from the other night of being out in the cold with him but the smarter part of him felt like it already knew.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm alright." Ray said a bit uneasily, the lie apparent on his face and before he could say more Kai shoved himself past him into the house, his eyes blazing dangerously.

"Kai!" Ray exclaimed as he shut the door, spinning on his heel but couldn't find it within him to tell him to leave.

"Show me." Kai said, noticing the broken pieces of something in the hall and what looked like a trail of blood that went from the bedroom at the back to the bathroom door.

"I'm fine." Ray tried again, not liking that look in his eyes.

"I won't ask again." Kai ground out, his fists clenching at his sides.

Ray fought the battle within him to keep stalling, not wanting to kick him out either even if that's what he would have done if it was someone other than Kai.

He turned back around to face the door, pulling his hair over his shoulder like he had the first time he had showed him. This time some pieces of his hair was stuck in the dried blood and he hissed as the strands got snagged, deciding it best to leave it and just wait for Kai to do something as he could feel his eyes on his back taking it all in.

"What… What the hell did he do?" Kai asked, having fought the lump in his throat and felt himself moving towards him.

"You mean what did I do…" Ray sighed as he dropped his hair and turned back around to face him, slightly startled with how close Kai had stepped up to him.

"Nobody deserves that, regardless of what they did." Kai said in a dark tone, his eyes having that murderous look in them again.

"Well, not much I can do about it now." Ray said with an almost carefree attitude, it happened and it wasn't the first and more than likely not the last time it would.

"It wasn't that bad." He added, hoping it would stop that look in Kai's eyes that frightened him more than his uncle ever did.

Kai just gave him a look that spelt it all out for him without Kai having to say anything, sinking into himself as he skirted around Kai towards the hall. Kai watched him go through what he guessed was the kitchen giving him some space before he followed after him, stepping over the broken glass so his own feet wouldn't get cut.

Sure enough they came into the small kitchen, the counters outlined the left of where he stood under the curved archway and followed the wall in front of him and ended with a small set of cupboards. To the right of him was a small square table with four chairs around it, and at the back was a sliding glass door that led outback.

He had never really noticed it before, having only been in the house once, but there were cat trees in almost every open space of the tiny home, several bags of cat food in the corner of the kitchen by the glass doors, and a litter box but he didn't see any cats and the house didn't smell like there were any either. On any other given time he would have questioned it but he wasn't there to learn about it so he pushed it down, stepping up to Ray who had gone to rummaging through the fridge across from where he had been standing.

"Well since you're here, you hungry?" Ray asked as he pulled out a loaf of bread and the other fixings he'd need, holding them up in a friendly gesture at him.

"Ray…" Kai started only to get ignored as Ray walked past him to the empty counter, next to the sink, and set everything down.

"Do you like mustard?" Ray asked, having to go back to the fridge.

Kai didn't say anything as he watched him, knowing exactly what he was doing and watched him pull out the bottle of mustard and mayonnaise before taking them back to the other things he had pulled out earlier.

"How many do you want?" Ray asked as he pulled open a drawer, fetching out a butter knife.

Kai rolled his eyes, he'd about had enough of this and stepped up to him and grabbed his wrist and snatched the knife out of his hold, tossing it into the sink as he glared hard at him. Ray could only stare back; his face having gone almost white at how terrified he looked and felt until his brain registered that it was Kai and he relaxed a little.

"That was clean." He rolled his eyes at him, knowing exactly what he was doing and wasn't fixing to stop.

"I'm not hungry."

"Well I am." Ray bit back and finally pulled himself out of Kai's hold, pulling open the drawer again and got out another butter knife.

"This has to stop." Kai's voice rumbled out of him, sounding deadly and irritated.

"And what do you suggest I do?" Ray said as he started to make his sandwiches, trying to ignore the hardening glare at the side of his head.

"Tell someone, anyone, who can help you!" Kai yelled back.

"I already told you." Ray said as he slapped some mayonnaise onto his bread, still avoiding looking beside him.

Kai made a noise in his throat, his fists clenching at his sides as he ground his teeth together. He was sick and tired of this and even if he couldn't see the new marks on Ray's back right now he could still see them in his head, only setting another fire within him.

"And what if he kills you next time?!" He shot out, trying to keep himself from shaking at the thought of it.

Ray finally looked at him, setting down his mayonnaise covered piece of bread and the knife. "He won't, that much I can promise you. I get a few beatings here and there, like I told you already it's not as bad as it used to be, but he wouldn't kill me."

"And how do you know that?!"

Ray sighed heavily at him, closing his eyes for a second to try and keep his own nerves from snapping on him. "Because I'm more useful alive than dead right now. He's an asshole, not stupid Kai." He said as he turned back around to finish making himself something to eat.

Kai went silent for a minute trying to think of something to say, something to convince him to finally tell someone other than him but his words never made it out of his mouth. The images of Ray's back still hitting him like a short movie on repeat, each time only making him get angrier and upset for him.

"What is it…" He finally breathed out, not really what he had initially wanted to say but it was out now.

"What's… What?" Ray asked as he finally finished his sandwich making and tossed the mayonnaise covered knife into the sink.

"What he uses." Kai said in the same low breath, his face softening slightly.

"Oh…" Ray said and with one hand holding his sandwich he started to clean up the mess he had made, putting everything he had pulled out of the fridge back where he had gotten them from, biting into his sandwich at the same time.

Kai watched him, not sure if Ray was going to tell him or not now that he had asked. He could keep pressing but part of him really didn't want to know, didn't need to know since it really wouldn't matter if he did or didn't.

Once the counter was clean and Ray's sandwich was almost done he finally turned to him, holding his crimson eyes with his golden ones.

"You sure you want to know?" Ray asked and it took Kai a minute to think over his answer before he nodded, his heart starting to beat harder in his chest.

"It's a Cat O' Nine Tails, think he got it from a sex store or something a few years ago when he wore out his belts." He told him as if he was telling him the weather, but Kai's heart had stopped for a second as it sunk into the pit of his stomach.

"I'd show you but I don't know where he keeps it, and he locks his bedroom door when he leaves." Ray added and finished his sandwich finally, carefully looking at Kai to see if he could get a read on him.

Kai just stood there a little numb and a lot more angry. He'd personally kick down the man's door just to go and find it and burn the damn thing, but that more than likely would only cause more problems since he was sure Ray had probably thought the same thing a thousand times over.

"What happened?" He finally found his own voice, and once again was dreading the answers.

"Didn't show up at work yesterday." Ray said plainly.

Kai stood there more stiff than before, his fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides as he desperately wanted to hit something. That was a piss poor excuse, they both knew that, but to his uncle it probably was justification enough. He alone had never really done anything to warrant the shit he got on his end, why would it be any different for Ray?

"Did you… Did you clean them?" He asked, almost shyly as he tried to look at him again.

"I took a shower, but I can't reach them." Ray said and Kai nodded.

"You need to clean them…" Kai said.

Ray nodded, "I know, but I can't." He repeated.

"…I can…"

"You don't-" "Ray." Kai cut in before Ray had the chance to finish, giving him a look that dared him to protest.

Ray huffed out and shook his head at him before he walked past him through the curved archway of the kitchen to the small hall, and a wooden dresser with glass doors that sat between the bathroom door on its right and another door on its left. He pulled it open and dug through it, past the stack of towels, pulling out a first aid kit from the back of the top shelf and held it out to him.

"Knock yourself out." He said as Kai took it from him, having stepped over the mess on the floor and his heart sinking again at the trail of blood on the floor.

Ray turned back to face the small wooden dresser and pulled his hair over his shoulder again, folding his arms on the top of the dresser as he leaned against it. Kai popped the first aid kit open and pulled out several alcohol wipes and some Band-Aids ranging in size and shape before he sat the kit down by his feet, his throat clenching up on him again as he took in sight of his back. Knowing that no matter how hard he'd try he'd never get the sight out of his head.

"You ready?" He asked carefully, tearing open one of the alcohol packets.

Ray didn't answer him, his own nerves starting to kick up against him. This was a first for him, having someone see him like this and then to clean up his mess. He felt bad, kicking himself for having ever told Kai at all but was still slightly thankful for the help he had.

The second the wipe touched his skin Ray jerked and hissed out as the alcohol burned the cut just below his right shoulder blade, that one had been the worst of them all as it was near the bone. Even though they had already started to scab over there were still parts that had yet to close up and it stung, almost worse than when he got them and it didn't help that his hair had gotten stuck in some of them.

"I'm sorry…" Kai said in a low voice as if he were afraid talking louder would cause problems, working the wipe down the cut and got another hiss from Ray as his back tensed.

Kai tugged at the hairs that were stuck in the dried-up blood, putting it over his shoulder with the rest of Ray's hair before he started up again. Ray would have normally bit someone's head off for having touched his hair, even if it was just a strand or two, but since it was Kai who was trying to help him he bit his tongue.

"It's alright…" He said through grit teeth, "Just stings…"

"I know." Kai said, dabbing up some extra blood until the wipe had turned almost a rusty colored brown and tossed it on the floor before opening another one and went to a small cut near the center of his back.

There were so many, too many to count, and now up closer he could see the more faded ones and ones that had been reopened or added on top of older ones. There wasn't an inch of tan skin that wasn't cut or scarred on him.

Kai continued to work, cleaning up the wounds he thought were worse off than the others and had gone through six packets of wipes before he went to putting on the Band-Aids to the cuts that looked like they needed it.

"You know you're gonna have to come back and take these off." Ray said as he felt Kai step back from him, finally pulling himself away from the dresser and turned back around as he pulled his hair back behind him.

"They should fall off after a few showers." Kai said as he cleaned up the wads of paper and blood stained wipes from the floor.

"Well if they don't you're taking them off." Ray said in almost a playful tone, picking up the first aid kit and putting it back from where he had gotten it.

Kai had gone off to throw everything else away in the kitchen, coming back to Ray on the floor with a wet towel trying to scrub up the blood on the floor. Once again Kai's throat clenched on him but he got down on his knees with him, picking up the pieces of glass that looked like it came from some kind of figurine.

"You don't have to do this…" Ray said quietly, stopping for a second to look up at him.

"Neither should you."

Ray smiled a little at him and went silent as he started to scrub at the floor again. The two working quietly with Ray scrubbing the floor and Kai having gone to get the broom and dustpan to throw away the glass, staying in the kitchen and started washing the dishes in the sink for him. The second Ray heard the water start up his mouth opened to protest again but felt it was a loss cause and let Kai have at it, once more thankful for the help he was getting from him.

Before Kai could forget he texted Natasha to let her know he was at Ray's doing homework since they were both home from school, omitting the reason Ray was home, since he didn't know when she'd come home. It didn't take long before she texted him back letting him know when she would be home, telling him he was on his own for dinner since she was out for the day.

With the hall scrubbed down Ray got off his aching knees and stretched out his back, getting a pop, before he went to his room at the end of the hall and looked at the mess that had been made the night before.

He got to work on fixing his sheets that were falling off the bed in the left corner of his room, gathering them up in a bundle in his arms and tossing them out the open bedroom door to put them in the wash. Moving onto the side table where his stereo had gotten knocked down, it only hanging off the side by the power cord, setting it up right again before moving to pick his desk chair up where it had fallen over. Being absorbed in fixing his room he hadn't noticed Kai standing in the doorway of his room, almost jumping out of his skin when he turned to leave.

"You have _got_ to stop doing that." He said as he put a hand to his bare chest, trying to still his frantic heart.

"Sorry…" Kai said a bit embarrassed, crimson eyes quickly taking in Ray's room since it was the first time he had seen it.

It was smaller than his, more of a square than a rectangle like his, everything almost decked in white and black with a few paintings and scrolls that had Chinese lettering on them or scenes of a bamboo forest or temple. It wasn't what he would have imagined but it suited him.

"Was there anything else you needed me to do?" He asked after coming back from checking out the room.

"You really didn't need to do any of what you've already done."

"That's not what I asked." Kai said in a playful tone, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Ray rolled his eyes at him, "I just have laundry to do, but really you don't need to clean my dirty socks. If you must help though, the living room and kitchen need to be swept and cleaned down. There's cleaning wipes in the cabinet closest to the doorway, above the microwave."

Kai nodded, having gotten his orders he went back to the kitchen to clean down the counters as Ray gathered his sheets up and carried them through the kitchen to the back door where the washer sat on the covered back porch. When he came back Kai was already done cleaning the counters and had started sweeping, he left him to it and snatched up the towel on the floor in the hall and took it to the bathroom and shut the door behind him; he didn't need Kai to see the blood that was all over the place.

Once satisfied with his task he took the wet rag and just threw it in the trash, not wanting to bother trying to get the stains out of it and glanced at the clock on the stove; they had been cleaning for almost three hours and it was one in the afternoon.

"You hungry yet?" Ray called through the curved archway, Kai having been in the living room sweeping.

"No."

"Okay…" Ray sighed as he went back outside to pull his sheets out of the wash.

With no dryer he took them to the clothes line and hung them up, hoping that they'd dry in the cold when Kai stepped out on the back porch.

"You can use our dryer." He said as he watched Ray throw up the bottom sheet on the line.

"I don't want to cause problems." Ray said as he fixed the sheet over the line.

"No ones home, and they're not going to dry out here in this weather."

Ray stepped back from the sopping wet sheets he had just hung up debating whether or not he should take the offer, already he was freezing just being out there in nothing but his thin shorts. Before he could respond Kai was there beside him pulling the sheets back down, the water seeping through his own clothes.

"I'll put them in." He said and turned on his heel away from him before Ray could protest.

Ray watched him go around the side of the house, his face warming despite the cold. "Good job at keeping your distance… Idiot…" He grumbled at himself, taking himself back into his own house so he could get the rest of his actual clothes that needed to be washed.

He grabbed a clean shirt from his dresser that sat at the end of his bed, facing the opposite wall of the door, and slipped it over his head before he pulled on some jeans and picked up his clothes basket and carried it to the front door. Kai already outside on the front porch again as if he was waiting for him, the two exchanged a small smile and Kai took the basket from Ray's hold as he stepped out of his home and locked the front door before following Kai back to his house.

"Since you helped me, what can I do to help you?" Ray asked as he leaned his shoulder against the doorway of the laundry room at the end of the hall of Kai's home, watching him toss in his dirty clothes in the washer.

"There's not much that needs to be done, might be some dishes." Kai said as he started the wash up and sat the clothes basket on the top of it once he closed the lid.

Ray nodded and went down the hall before Kai could stop him, having to follow after him and grabbed his soggy cereal he had left on the coffee table before joining Ray in the kitchen who was already unloading the dishwasher.

"So… Since you know why I stayed home today, why did you stay home?" Ray asked as he continued to work, instead of asking Kai where things went he just opened the cabinets blindly until he found the right one.

"They let me have the day off because of tomorrow." Kai answered as he pulled out a silver pot, fiddling with it in his hands.  
He had already told Ray this but figured with everything else that had just happened he didn't think Ray had remembered, and he didn't blame him.

"Oh… That's right you have that court hearing, I'm sorry I almost forgot." Ray said as he came back to the dishwasher and plucked out two glasses.

"It's fine, not like you don't have your own problems." Kai said as he finally took the pot over to the cupboard by the stove, pushing the pot inside it with the others.

"How long do you think it's going to be?" Ray asked once he found the cabinet of other glasses.

"More than likely all day."

"Ah, so no chance of you coming to the dance then." Ray said and even though he had tried to sound normal there was a waver in his tone.

"You're still going?" Kai asked with a cocked brow, after what had happened to him he didn't think he'd go.

Ray shrugged at him, the two standing on either side of the empty dishwasher. "It'll keep me out of the house and Max paid my ticket already."

He turned to the sink, being the one beside it, and turned the water on to wash the dishes that were awaiting their much needed bath as Kai came around to help him but got pushed away.

"Nope, you scrub my dishes I scrub yours." He said with a toothy grin, planting himself more in the center of the sink so Kai couldn't come back beside him.

Kai rolled his eyes at him and leaned up against the counter beside the sink, folding his arms over his chest as he watched him for a moment in silence. Ray could feel Kai staring again, like he always did, and his own face started to heat up and he shifted where he stood and fought with himself from staring back at him.

Mentally he was screaming and kicking at himself, wondering what the hell had happened to his vow of not being close or getting any closer to him and here he was doing his dishes because Kai had done his for him.

Without warning his dream came back and his face burned, as if trying to scrub it away he worked harder on the plate in his hand and had to stop himself before he snapped it in half and put it in the dishwasher.

It was already too much for him and the problems it would cause him were there at the back of his head, like they were in a neat little file for him to shift through and go over one by one. Starting from his uncle and how he'd react to it, to the possibility that he was just reading too much into it all and would just wind up like Oliver; alone and abandoned by his best friends.

He couldn't keep doing this though, he had to stop it even though he didn't want to. The little crush he was getting had to be stomped out, someway or another.

Even though he told himself these things that didn't stop him from finishing washing the dishes and Kai switching his laundry out like there were already playing house together. Nor did it stop him from making them some dinner by five and watching TV together before Ray felt it was time he had to go back home before it got later, having been watching TV for three hours now.

Being the love sick puppy he was Kai walked him home, carrying his laundry and gave it to him once Ray had unlocked his door. His uncles truck still not in the drive so they both had some relief from that, if even just a little.

"Well… Um… Thank you… For helping…" Ray said uneasily, knowing full well he was just stalling now.

Kai nodded, "Have fun tomorrow…"

"I'll try… Good luck tomorrow." Ray said, shifting the basket under his arm. "I'll um… If you want… You can text or call me anytime…" He added and quickly kicked himself again.

"Same." Kai said as he locked eyes with him, making sure he got the hint and once Ray nodded he toned down the look a little.

"Night…" He still couldn't find it within himself to go back inside but he knew the longer he stayed out there with him the more he'd regret it.

"Night." Kai responded and turned away from him, stepping down the three wooden steps of the porch and started back for his own home.

Ray watched him go as his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest, his golden eyes slowly going lower to Kai's ass and he felt like he got hit by a truck before he shook himself out of his staring and went into the house, slamming the door shut and hitting his head against it a few times as if it would knock some sense into him.

To his dismay, it didn't.


	14. Hidden in the Written Words

**That was one long ass week, I swear. Hope ya'll had a good one either way.  
Thank you, I say this every time but I truly mean it. **

**To my Guest reviewer, because I can't directly respond to your reviews, I wanted to let you know that I see you and I appreciate every review I get from you. Just as I do all my other readers, as they all never cease to really make my days.**

 **Chapter 17 was just finished last night, so I'm still keeping ahead of schedule here so I don't catch up to myself.**

 **Might be a bit early to be asking this, but is anyone interested in a sequel to this? Also a bit late of me to ask as I've already gotten a few chapters written for it, but if there's not a big demand for it I won't bother anymore with it so I can focus on this one and my others. The rating for it right now stands at M because of lemons (sex scenes), based on what you guys want I can always change it, just lemme know in the reviews.**

 **Will see you all after the weekend, enjoy.**

* * *

Ch 14- Hidden in the Written Words. Saturday, October 13th

Once more Kai was awake before his alarm had a chance to go off, having been awake almost all night and had already been showered and dressed for the day he had been dreading for a week.

He felt bile rise in his throat every time he thought about it, forcing himself to swallow it each time and gag a little. He didn't think he'd be able to do this, he didn't want to do it, but he had to.

Natasha and Micah greeted him in the kitchen, already sitting with just a cup of coffee to sip on since he didn't think he'd be able to stomach anything with how bad he was feeling. Natasha had only just smiled at him while Micah gave him a sympathetic look, neither sure what to say to him to make it better since they really didn't think there were words that _could_ make it better.

Tala strolled into the silence of the kitchen five minutes before they were meant to leave and like the others he had dressed to the nines, having kept his red hair down for the day and held it back in a low ponytail. Kai could hardly recognize him when he had first stepped in, not that he was very recognizable either without a baggy band t-shirt on and since he had gone to keeping his two-toned hair down he hadn't bothered with it again, letting it hang around his shoulders and framing his face.

The whole blended family looked their Sunday best yet neither felt the way they looked, none of them had been looking forward to this since they had learned about it but it was out of their hands now and the only thing they could do was hope for the best.

The five minutes they had came and went in the blink of an eye and they shuffled out of their home together, Kai having looked over his shoulder back at Ray's house before he climbed into Natasha's car and drove down the quiet road for the long hour drive.

Tala didn't even have it in him to talk, just sitting there beside Kai in the back with his eyes forward at the back of his mothers head as she drove, though his back was rigid and tense like he was already ready to square up to anyone he came across and Kai could practically smell the anger rising from him but it still didn't help his own nerves.

Trying to help himself he pulled out his cellphone, now that he was actually allowed to have it, and texted Ray 'mornin' and sat his phone in his lap. Not thinking he'd get a response with how early it was in the morning still, but the second it touched his knee it vibrated with a response and Kai had to still his frantic heart.

{Mornin'.} Was the response and Kai smiled down at the phone in his hand a little, his fingers quickly dancing across his screen.

{What're you doing up so early?} He held his breath as he waited the whole two minutes for the reply, his smile only getting bigger.

{You woke me up, thanks for that. What're you doing up?}

{Off to hell, sorry bout that. I'll let you go.} He sighed heavily, watching his screen carefully for the reply again as he felt the time tick down for no more than another two minutes.

{Nah, you're fine. Need to get up anyways. So, already off to hell huh? You doing okay?}

{I've felt better, not really something I have a choice in doing though. How's your back?} He typed quickly, trying to match Ray's fast reply time with his own texts.

{I can only imagine, hope it doesn't take too long and it's not that bad for you… It's fine…}

Kai felt an anger boil in the pit of his stomach, what had happened to him was _not_ fine but there wasn't anything he could do about it. {Still going to the dance tonight?}

{Yeah, Tyson's going to be picking me up around noon so we can get ready together at his place with Max. Still wish you were able to come.}

Kai smiled again, that last part getting to him a little bit. If he could he would go, just for Ray. {Same, would be a lot better than this. You going to do each other's hair?} He felt a little bolder in text while also just trying to keep Ray on the line, since he didn't want to have to sit for the rest of the drive thinking about where he was going.

{Nobody touches my hair but me.}

{I touched it yesterday.} Kai typed back, feeling smug until it took Ray more than two minutes to reply and he was already regretting what he had typed back. Until the little speech bubble popped up with Ray's reply and he breathed out heavy again in relief.

{Guess I'll have to make an exception, only for you then.}

Kai's heart beat faster. He knew he shouldn't have read it in a flirtatious way but he couldn't stop thinking that it was meant to be read like that, and it did nothing for the crush he had on the other boy.

{I feel honored.} It was all his brain could think of to type back to him, still not ready to tell him goodbye yet since they had only been driving for less than thirty minutes.

{Oh you should, nobodies ever touched it before.}

{Not even Mariah?} Kai didn't know why that came out from his fingertips but he had already hit send before he could delete it, cringing and kicking himself for sending it.

{Not even Mariah, when I said no one I meant no one.}

Ray's reply only emboldened him more, making him feel more smug and special. He had gotten to touch his hair, something that was no doubt precious to him and his own girlfriend had been denied the opportunity of touching it.

{Shame, it's really soft.} Kai knew he was crossing a line, teetering dangerously on the edge of possibly losing him as a friend for good but since it was hard to distinguish tone and real meaning behind written words he felt safe behind them.

{Thank you, I'm sure yours is soft too. By the way, been meaning to ask, but do you dye it like that?}

Kai would have laughed, having to choke it back down so the others didn't start asking questions as his fingers danced over his screen again. {No I don't dye it like this.}

{Oh, that's interesting. I like it.}

Kai's face felt warm at that, that was the third time Ray had said something like that to him and it was the second time he had said he liked something about his hair.

{I like your hair too, not that I would ever grow mine out that long though. Doesn't seem like something easy to keep up with, not to mention it getting in the way all the time.}

{If you're suggesting I cut it you can stop right there sir. It may be a bit much, specially for a guy, but it's my hair and I love it.}

{I never said you had to cut it.} Kai replied quickly, no way on earth did he want Ray to cut that glorious hair of his. If anything, he just wanted Ray to let him touch it again.

{Good, cus it's staying so you'll just have to deal with it.}

Kai didn't really know what to say to that, his brain working over time it was practically steaming at this point from trying so hard to sound casual and just a friend without a ridiculous crush. Some parts had slipped out, he thought about reeling it back in but the other half of him kept moving forward.

{Good. Wouldn't really be you without it. I like it.}

Ray's face burned, his cheeks and tips of his ears turning a deadly shade of red as he scanned over Kai's last text over and over again and his heart hammered against his chest each time he ran over those last three words.

He liked his hair.

Ray didn't know what else to say, a 'thank you' didn't seem good enough. Not when he too had been teetering on the edge of this like Kai had been, knowing full well that he shouldn't have.

"You're such a fucking idiot, you know that?" He breathed out to himself as he sat in the middle of his bed, his phone held in his lap as he stared down at it.

"Of course I know that." He bit back and made a face of annoyance at himself.

"Then tell him goodbye before you wind up in the same corner as Oliver." He reasoned, his fingers still hovering over his phone screen waiting for his brain to actually kick in and type back an actual reply.

"But that would be rude and I don't want him to think that he can't compliment me, that would only make this worse." He sighed out and shook his head.

"And you want to make his crush on you worse by leading him on?" He asked himself, shaking his head again harder.

"I'm not leading him on. He knows I'm with Mariah and how he feels about me isn't my fault…" He argued with himself, feeling that it was just going to keep in circles until he went blue in the face.

He had told himself this, on many occasions when he figured it out and then started to realize he felt the same. He just didn't want to admit it, he couldn't.

{Thanks, sorry for the late reply was getting up. How'd you sleep last night?} He typed out, losing the battle with himself in order to keep up the civil conversation he was having with the boy who had haunted his dreams again.

Kai breathed a bit easier, having stared at his phone for the longest time until Ray had texted him back. He was sure he had scared him off, that he had stepped too far over the line and had lost him for a minute. Relived that Ray had messaged him back, even if it had taken him almost ten minutes and they were closer to the court house.

{I didn't sleep at all last night, what about you?}

{Slept well enough I suppose, still can't lay on my back that well so didn't sleep as good as I normally do.} It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the full truth either, but he didn't think it would be good if he told Kai that part of the reason he didn't sleep good was because he dreamt of the two of them going at it like dogs in heat again.

Kai felt his heart clench on him and go out to Ray, he knew what it was like not being able to sleep because of being attacked a day before. The aftermath was always the hardest to get through, the beatings were terrible but having to live life like normal was just utter hell.

{I know what that's like… That one on your shoulder blade the problem?} He typed, remembering that one mark the most. Every time he closed his eyes he could see it perfectly.

Ray looked at his phone again speechless, kicking himself more times than he could count. He didn't want this, not this pity from him or anyone. It was the whole reason none of the others ever knew what he lived through behind closed doors, why they never came over to stay the night. Not that he wasn't grateful for Kai's help the day before he just didn't want this, where all they talked about were the scars they had on their bodies and the things they lived through.

{Think so, honestly can't really tell but it'll get better by Monday I'm sure. Are you going to be dressing up this week with the rest of us for homecoming?} Ray wrote out quickly, diverting the subject.

Kai cringed again. {Don't think so. You three and the rest of the school can knock yourselves out though.}

{You're not even going to dress up for one day? That's lame.}

{Lame is my middle name.} Kai's smirk came back to his lips as he replied.

There was no way in hell he'd dress up for the week, not that he even remembered what the days themes were to begin with anyways.

{No it's not, it's Susumu.}

Kai's heart dropped as the smirk got snatched off his face. He had never told Ray his middle name. {How'd you know that?}

{It's school record, I can look up everyone while in the library working and on your first day I had seen it.}

Kai breathed a bit easier, not much, but it was better than Ray having Googled him or something extreme. {Oh…} Was all he could get out.

{Got more of that Japanese blood in you than Russian, huh?}

{Yeah, guess so.} Kai typed back with less enthusiasm than he previously had.

Though whether that was because they had gone to this dead topic or that the car was edging closer to the court house he wasn't sure.

{Almost there, gonna let you go now.}

{Okay. Good luck.} Ray typed back within his two minute time frame, {Bye.} He added quickly, not having wanted to say goodbye but he did need to get himself out of bed and ready to get picked up in a few hours.

{Bye.} Kai replied the moment Natasha pulled the car into the parking garage across the street from the court house, Kai putting his phone back into his pocket after he silenced it.

Tala, all the while had been watching him out the corner of his eyes and had been smiling the entire way at the reactions his brother had on his face the entire time; the poor boy had it bad.

"How's Ray?" He asked quietly, giving him a little nudge and watched Kai's face turn just as red as his eyes.

Kai stuttered something incoherent to him, his face only getting hotter as he tried to think of what to say before he settled on something he could spit out.

"He's fine."

Tala's smile twisted into his more wolfish grin, his blue eyes brightening. "Oh, trust me I've noticed." He teased just to rile Kai up.

"T-that's not what I meant!" Kai's voice cracked as it raised, his eyes slightly wide.

"Tala, stop picking on him." Natasha scorned as she turned the car off, having found a spot on the third level of the garage.

Tala rolled his eyes though his grin didn't leave his face as he got himself unbuckled in order to get out of the car, Kai having already gotten himself unbuckled and out of the car with lightning speed. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with him, not like he was any other time of the day either but today he really didn't need it.

"Do you think he knows?" Tala asked as he leaned over the top of the car, staring Kai down.

"Knows what?!" Kai's voice cracked again.

Tala smacked his lips, "That you like him?" His words rolled off his tongue smoothly, getting hit in the arm by his mother as she walked around him.

"I told you to stop it, if you don't stop you can sit in the car the entire time." She scorned him and Kai gave her a thankful smile that she didn't see, having stared down her oldest son the entire time.

"I didn't do anything." Tala cried out in a fake hurt voice, rubbing his arm where Natasha had hit him.

"I won't tell you again." She warned with a finger held up within inches of his face.

"Yes ma'am." Tala said with a hard swallow.

Kai smirked at him and followed behind Micah who had stood behind and waited for his wife to finish scolding their son, Natasha and Tala coming around to meet him at the back of the car and headed for the elevator with the two boys behind them.

The closer they walked to the elevator the more Kai started to feel his body cover in a cold sweat, his throat clenching on him as he got closer and it was getting harder to breathe. As Micah reached out to push the button his hand went out and grabbed hold of Tala's sleeve, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Ma." Tala called out in a panic, putting his hand behind Kai's back as he was doubled over.

"Oh no…" Natasha breathed as she turned around, Micah stepping away from the elevator and went over to the two with her.

"It's okay Kai, just breathe honey." She cooed as she brushed his bangs, already sticking to his face from sweat, from his forehead.

Kai shook his head, trying to inhale deeply but it still felt like he was suffocating. The hand he had grabbed Tala's jacket sleeve with shaking harder as his fingers curled tighter into the fabric. His legs felt like they were going to give out on him but he couldn't reach out with his other hand to keep himself standing, Tala having noticed and put a hand on his chest for him so he didn't fall to the ground.

"C'mon baby, it'll be alright I promise. You can do this." Natasha said in a sweet motherly tone, eyes going up quickly past him as she noticed more people coming towards them.

"Let's get him towards the stairs instead." She said in a hushed whisper and took Kai's other side, helping Tala get him away before the other people approached them.

They shuffled towards the closed in stairwell, Micah holding the door open for the three of them and followed once they got Kai in. Tala and Natasha setting him down on the floor, staying on their respective sides with Tala still rubbing Kai's back and Natasha talking to him quietly in Russian to keep his attention.

Kai could only mutter back short responses, his breathing still labored and his face flushed. He felt like he was dying, his heart still hammering in his chest to the point it hurt. It had been a long time since he had this happen to him but the thought of what was going to happen, who he was going to see, once he got off that elevator had set it off.

"M'sorry." He mumbled through a large shaky breath.

"No darling don't apologize to us. You've done nothing wrong." Natasha said in the softest of voices, dabbing at his face with a tissue she had pulled from her purse. "We'll go when you feel like it, we're a little early so take your time."

(Thank you) Kai breathed out heavily as the worst of it seemed to have passed, thankful that it hadn't taken long to pass through him but it made him feel like he had been hit by a truck.

"Of course my love." Natasha cooed as she stood up from him with a soft smile.

Kai could only give her a weak upturn of the corner of his mouth, Tala helping him stand up again from the floor but kept his arm around his back incase he went down again.

"Do you want to wait a bit longer?" Tala asked, his hand still rubbing Kai's back.

Kai shook his head, "I'm going to take the stairs…"

Natasha nodded as she and Micah turned to the stairs to their left, going down first with the two behind them again.

On the steps of the courthouse they met up with Kai's social worker, Dickenson giving them a bright morning smile and frowned when he saw how Kai looked like he had just ran a marathon. He put the pieces together of what could have happened and gave him a pitying look, that Kai wanted to take and shove up the old man's ass.

It wasn't that he didn't like Dickenson, he was a really nice man, but he didn't like that look. Didn't like the fact that he had to be there to begin with when he knew this was just a waist of everyone's time. There was no way the judge would let his grandfather get his hands on him again, and he felt stupid for having the panic attack to begin with because he knew this and yet it still hit him.

"We'll be called at around six thirty, so you all still have some time left. The room is 4-B on the fifth floor. I'll see you all there." Dickenson said and turned his portly self around, using his cane to get himself up the stairs towards the doors.

Natasha turned to Kai, "Do you want to go in now or wait a little longer?"

"Now." Kai answered back.

The sooner they got this over with the better.

Natasha nodded, taking Micah's hand in hers as they led the boys up the stairs not too far behind Dickenson who was already going through the large glass doors. As they got inside they quickly started taking their shoes and belts off, emptying their pockets so they could step through the metal detectors and came out on the other side with the rest of the crowd of people that had been there before them and those that came behind him. Trying to quickly dress again and find the stairs that would take them up, not wanting Kai to panic again if they headed for an elevator.

Outside the thick wooden door Kai found an empty bench to sit on while Tala went off to one of the large windows to look down at the street below them, after having made sure Kai would be alright on his own while Natasha and Micah went into the room first with Dickenson.

With nothing to do he pulled his phone back out, trying to keep his nerves still, and messaged Ray again as he felt it was the only thing he could really do.

{Did you fall back asleep?}

{Nope, got my ass up sadly. Had some things I needed to do before Tyson came to get me, are you already done?}

Kai read over the text that only took two minutes to get back, just like before. {Just got here actually, have a few minutes to kill before we go in though since we're early.}

{That sucks, bet the wait is killing you.}

Kai scoffed, Ray had no idea. He debated on whether he should tell him what had happened to him, wondering if Ray suffered from it too since they were already quite alike.

{It'll pass. It's the whole hearing that I have to get through, that's when the real hell starts.} He decided to type instead.

{Is it really going to take all day?}

{I have no idea, depends what he wants out of this.} Kai responded, but so far even if it had ended in an hour or two he would be better off not going to the dance at all at this point. He didn't think he'd be able to handle it on top of what he was fixing to do.

{You don't know what he wants?}

{Aside from me, not really.} Kai typed back, his heart sinking at the idea even though he knew it was only a pipe dream. {This is just really a waist of time, it's not going to work no matter how much he pays the judge off.}

{Looks more like he's just trying to remind you that he's still around, that he can still play with your life even if he's not directly in it right now.}

Kai read the message a few times and each time he did Ray's words sunk in a bit deeper, a niggling feeling that he was right in the back of his head. He didn't know what to say to him, his throat having clenched up on him again.

{Gotta go.} Was what he settled on and put his phone back in his pocket, hoping that Ray wouldn't question the abrupt end to their conversation since he knew Kai was busy.

Though the second his phone was back in his pocket, Ray not having replied, his fingers itched to take it back out and talk to him some more. It didn't matter what it had to be about he just needed the distraction, get his mind off of what he was fixing to do but couldn't find it in himself to pull his phone back out.

Along the tile of the hall he was sitting in the sound of cane tapping the ground caught his ears, recognizing it instantly his blood ran cold. He stood up from the bench, eyes going as hard as they could as he turned to stare back into darker crimson hidden behind a wrinkling and aging face.

Kai hadn't even noticed it when Tala had come to stand beside him but he could feel his hand on his back, staring Voltaire down just as hard and the two lawyers that were standing just behind him as he faced down his grandson, with his own scowl on his face as if he detested the mere sight of him already.

Kai's heart leapt into his throat as Voltaire stepped around them while tearing his gaze away from the two teens, going into the room where the door slammed hard behind him. Kai's hand quickly went to the collar of his shirt as if he felt it fixing to choke him, Tala sitting him back down on the bench and kneeled in front of him with a hand on Kai's knees and the other around his back.

"Its okay, you're safe with me you know that." He said in a firm but calm voice, his hand rubbing Kai's back again.

Kai nodded, gasping in for air again. "I… I know…" He panted out.

"He's not going to get you, you know this. Ma and Pa won't let that happen." Tala continued and Kai nodded again.

"What… What if he's paid… Paid them off?" He muttered under his breath.

"I promise you he didn't, the judge is a good man he wouldn't take any dirty money from him." Tala tried to reason with him, but his own words didn't feel as convincing as he wanted them to be to himself.

Kai just nodded again, the panic attack washing through him and leaving him tired again. He laid his head back against the wall behind him, his breathing coming in and out in normal intervals; no matter how quick or long they were they still left him feeling tired and heavy.

The door to his right opened again, Natasha coming out and brushing his slate colored bangs back from his pale face with a gentle smile.

"It's time."


	15. Dance with the Devil

Ch 15- Dance with the Devil. Saturday, October 13th

As Ray dressed with Tyson and Max for the dance he couldn't get the conversation he and Kai had only a few hours ago out of his head and the more he thought about it the less excited he was about going out, not that he had been overly excited for it to begin with, but now it felt like he was doing something he shouldn't be. He wanted to be there for him, even if he couldn't physically be there at the moment, feeling as though his phone had become this sacred machine that held their connection together. He had made sure it was recharged, not wanting it to die on him incase Kai messaged him again or called him at any time; even though he hadn't heard from him for almost seven hours now.

"You okay?" Max asked, coming to stand beside Ray as he was trying to do something with his hair in Tyson's standing floor length mirror.

Ray looked back at Max through his reflection, the younger boy in a light-blue button down shirt and khaki's with a sickening bright yellow tie decorated with emerald green swirls on. A bit more formal just for a homecoming dance but the boy looked good; aside from the eye sore of a tie.

"Yeah, just can't figure out what to do with this mess." Ray sighed as he let his hands fall from his hair, it dropping down his back.

"Could leave it like that?" Max suggested.

"Eh… Guess I'll just wrap it again…" Ray sighed in defeat, going to Tyson's bed where he had left the red wrap he had been wearing previously.

It matched his own red button down shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, while he had decided on black jeans that fit him perfectly.

Tyson had decided to dress in the bathroom, saying that he was going to 'knock their socks off' with what he had picked out… Or more what Hilary had picked out for him.

Max went quite, watching Ray sit on Tyson's bed as he pulled his long hair over his shoulder to start a braid up. He knew better than to ask if he wanted help so he just stood there, seeing that there was something else bothering Ray but didn't know what to say to him for the longest time.

Between the three of them he and Ray had always gotten along well, Max had sort of become the glue that kept them altogether since he knew Tyson and Ray and then introduced them to each other. Thus starting the five year long friendship they all had together.

Max never let the others know but he could read them pretty well, could tell when something was bothering the others that they didn't feel like sharing. He never pried, respecting their boundaries, but for a while now he could see it in Ray's eyes that something had been bothering him for a long time. He could actually pinpoint when it started, a week ago, just after Kai had joined their school and their little group.

Like the others he liked Kai, even if he really didn't know much about him, but he had high respects for the oldest of their group especially after what he had done for Oliver. Which in turn had emboldened him and Tyson to step in to protect him and offer Oliver a place with them in their group which the other boy had accepted, almost reluctantly, but he was now a part of them whether he liked it or not.

"You sure you're okay?" Max asked as Ray was halfway through his braid, his fingers stopping so he could look up and meet Max's ocean blue eyes.

"Yeah…"

"You know you can talk to me, if you need to." Max pressed, not really wanting to but he didn't like that look in Ray's eyes that told him he was lying; Ray was never good at lying and they both knew it.

"Max." Ray said in a warning tone, not liking the pity in his voice and his eyes. He didn't want it.

"I promise, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well last night." Ray said as his fingers continued to wind through his hair.

Max bit his lip, giving him a more worrying look. He wanted to tell him that he knew, that he had seen the scars on his back once a long time ago but had never mentioned it to him or anyone else. He wasn't sure where they were from but he could make a few guesses, not many, since he never liked Ray's uncle Stan and his own imagination filled in the blanks for him and had been watching him flinch every now and then and hiss under his breath as he had gotten dressed. Of course, like always, Ray wore an undershirt under his regular clothes so he hadn't seen them this time but he could tell Ray's back was bothering him.

"Okay…" Max said in a low breath, feeling like he couldn't keep pressing since he didn't want Ray to get angry with him.

The two fell silent, Max watching Ray work the rest of his hair into the long braid and picked up the red wrap he had and started to tie it around the braid he had made until it was wrapped securely around his hair, leaving parts of it sticking out through the leather straps that held it together.

"That looks good." Max offered and Ray gave him a small smile of thanks.

The door to Tyson's room opened and Tyson came strutting in with a wide smile on his face, doing a little twirl in his pink button down shirt and light-blue jeans. His hair for once combed back and out of his normal ponytail, the ends of his midnight-blue hair reaching his shoulder blades.

"What do you guys think? I rock pink, don't I?" He asked once his twirl was over.

Max bit into his lip to keep from laughing, not that he didn't look good it was just his entrance that had him wanting to laugh. Ray looked him over, Tyson really could clean up good when he wanted to.

"Yeah, pink suits you." Ray said with a small smile on his face.

"But without your hat you just look weird." Max joked through a chuckle.

Tyson made a face at him, he had wanted his hat but Hilary had given strict orders for him to leave it at home. "Yeah I know, to be honest I feel naked without it."

"Still look good to me." Max said a bit too quickly and Ray cocked a brow at him but kept his mouth shut.

That had sounded a bit too rushed, even to him, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had been wrong this whole time about where Max's feelings actually lay.

"Thanks man, you too. But gotta say, that tie is a bit much." Tyson said and Ray choked on his own spit.

Tyson was more hard headed than he thought if he couldn't see how quickly Max had deflated after complimenting him, only to get that kind of response.

Ray couldn't help but wonder how long Max had been hiding it, whether he had been fighting himself since he figured it out, like he had been, or if he had just shrugged his shoulders and accepted it but couldn't make the first move since Tyson was with Hilary; even if their relationship seemed doomed from the start. If anything though he did feel better, he and Oliver weren't so alone in their own little corner now.

"You really think so?" Max recovered, holding the tie up to inspect.

"Well… No, I mean it's kind of out there… But I mean if you like it." Tyson said quickly, rubbing the back of his head and Ray smirked.

Looked like the corner just got a bit bigger.

* * *

Kai's fingers curled into his pants, his arms trembling slightly as the judge came back from his chambers. They had been called to a two hour recess so he could go over everything again, it taking more than two hours and already he was getting tired of being there since 6:30. The clock on the wall read off that it was now nearing three in the afternoon and that didn't help him any. He was ready to run and not look back.

Natasha and Tala had sat on either side of him, their backs upright and ridged through it all with a fire in their eyes. Dickenson had done his part in making sure that everything on Kai's file had been up to date and had given it to the judge to review just like Voltaire's own lawyers had done.

Through it all Kai had not once glanced over in his direction, Tala blocking his view one of the reasons he didn't and the other was because he didn't think he could handle it. Having already looked at that man's face once before all of this started was enough for him, he couldn't handle it another time.

As the judge took his seat again the others sat down with him, the tension suffocating them all again as the man fixed his glasses and placed the folder he had been carrying in on the desk in front of him. He smacked his lips a little, the tension only getting thicker and Kai's heart sunk when the man's steely gray eyes met his and then shifted towards his family around him.

"Will you all please stand?" The judge asked in a gruff deep voice that rattled his aging windpipes.

The small family of four did as he asked, Kai's fingers only digging more into his pants as he tried to still his nerves. The judge's eyes swept towards Voltaire and his two lawyers, the judge's eyes getting harder as they locked with the other aging man across from him.

"And you, Mr. Hiwatari." He asked, his voice having an edge to it.

Voltaire did as he was told with a small smirk tugging on the corner of his lips as he held his cane in front of him, his hands laxed over the carved silver bird, and met the judges eyes with his own.

The room went silent, the judge looking back over the notes in the folder in front of him again and with a deep sigh he too stood up from his chair and straightened his tie a little around his neck.

"In all my years of being a judge, never once have I seen such a record as deep and heart breaking as this. I am new to this case, having only been briefed on it last week when we were given the request for it." He paused as his eyes went back towards Voltaire and his wrinkled face hardened into a frown.

"I'm not sure what you thought would happen with bribing me but I assure you that I am not that kind of man. That I have a grandson no older than your own that I love with all my being… How _dare_ you stand here in _my_ court with a face as such as the one you're wearing!" The judge's voice boomed and Kai flinched a little, his heart sinking more into his stomach as his back tensed.

Of course he knew his grandfather would have tried to pay the judge off, it wasn't beneath him in any form to stoop so low, but if anything he was grateful that the judge was a kinder man than what he had expected. He had already been sent back to him once before, due to Voltaire paying a heavy price to a different judge and he didn't know if it would work a second time or not.

The Ivanov's and Kai held their breaths, letting the judge's words sink into the still air around them. Voltaire's hands gripped the top of his cane harder as the smirk vanished off his face.

"Your petition to have him reinstated in your home will not be approved by me, no matter how much you pay me or how much you think it will happen. We are not monsters here like you. What I will do, is strip your rights away. This boy deserves a good life and one away from you, where you can no longer harm him. I'd gladly see you in prison for all the things you have put your own flesh and blood through, but according to record that is still out of my own reach." The judge's voice continued to boom, his face and eyes going harder as he stared Voltaire down.

"We will come back next month, on the seventeenth, to finish the process of your rights. But I warn you, do _not_ hold your breath as I intend to strip them away from you. For now, you are hereby restricted from coming in contact with your grandson for any reason. You are to keep up a thirty foot distance from his home of record and school and any other establishment that he maybe attending for whatever purpose. If you violate this order than you will be thrown in jail for no more than forty days, do I make myself clear?" The judge read off from a piece of paper that sat on his desk, looking up only once he was done and met Voltaire's eyes again in a cold glare that was felt around the room.

Voltaire grit his teeth, "Perfectly." He growled out in a deep rumble.

The judge smiled victoriously and picked up his gavel and slammed it down on the little knob at the corner of his desk, "Then this hearing is adjourned, I'll see you all next month. The bailiff will give you the papers for time and place." The judge said and swept down from his seat to the side door where he disappeared without another word to them.

Tala's hand went to Kai's back the second the door snapped shut, feeling Kai breathe in a heavy sigh of relief before he gently rubbed it for him with a small smirk on his own face.

Voltaire's attorney took the folder the bailiff held out for him, Voltaire snatching it from him and stormed down the hall and out of the room. Natasha and Micah watching him go with their own victorious smirks on their faces.

"You want to go home or get something to eat boys?" She asked gently, her own hand coming on Kai's shoulder.

Kai shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't know what he wanted to do at the moment. Everything that had gone on still fresh and raw, the last parts of what the judge had said sinking in deeper than anything he had ever felt. He was close to being free of him, for good, and he prayed for the safety of the judges life for having crossed his grandfather. Knowing full well that the only reason they had a new judge overseeing the case now was because the other was found dead in his home, a gunshot wound to his forehead and had been classified as a suicide but he knew better, they all knew better than that.

"Let's go see what we can find around here then, how's that sound?" Natasha said and pushed gently on Kai's shoulder to get him moving out of the pews.

Micah took the folder from the bailiff, Dickenson having gotten his own folder and followed behind the family quietly. The entire walk back to the car was in silence, Kai having gone to holding onto Tala's hand for support and only broke away when they climbed into the back seat of the car.

As Natasha started the car and pulled out from the parking space Kai pulled out his phone, it had taken another hour for everything to end and it was now 4:20. The dance would be starting at five, he had time to go if he wanted to but after everything he really didn't feel like it; even if he knew being around Ray would help his nerves. Instead he pulled up his contact again, his fingers hovering over his screen as he through of something to say to him.

{Done.} Was what he settled on, expressing another deep breath as he held his phone in his hand and waited for the reply.

{That did take all day. Wow. How are you?}

{Have another hearing next month on the seventeenth. Not looking forward to it, but it sounds like they may take his rights away for good.} Kai typed back, trying to ease his way into telling Ray what happened.

He wasn't going to give a replay word for word to him, just the important parts that he wanted to get off his chest that he couldn't scream out to the world. He was close, so close, to being free of that man he could almost taste it. Not one to get his own hopes up though he also told himself that it could still change, things could turn around in the blink of an eye especially if Voltaire got his hands on the judge.

{I don't even see why he still has any to begin with, but I'm glad to hear that things are finally going in the right direction for you. Are you coming tonight then?} Ray asked, setting his phone back down on his lap as he rode in the back of Lee's SUV with the others.

Mariah was sat beside him, dressed up in her best with her makeup done to a fine point and her hair down with a small braid on the side of her face. She looked beautiful but her face was a little flushed, having told the others that she had caught a stomach bug, and had been watching out the window since her and her brother had picked the others up from Tyson's place; the other boys were to meet up with their dates at the school.

{No. Don't think I can handle a crowd right now.} Came Kai's reply and Ray felt his stomach flip but he wasn't sure why it had.

{We'll miss you.} Ray typed back quickly, but he knew the only one who would miss him was himself.

{Get some rest though, we'll see you on Monday.} He added quickly before Kai could reply to his first message, not wanting to go back to teetering on the edge of their friendship again especially with the others and his girlfriend sitting right there beside him.

{Are you not coming home?}

{I don't know yet, Tyson and Max offered me to stay the night but I have work in the morning. Don't need to miss another day again, you know.} Ray replied and held his breath for Kai's next message.

{Yeah, be safer if you went with them for the night at least.}

{It would, but then I'd need grandpa to take me home and then to work. I don't want to ask him to do that for me.} Ray replied quickly as the SUV pulled into the packed school parking lot, hardly noticing anything else around him at the moment.

{If you want, Tala and I could take you in the morning.}

Ray's heart hammered in his chest, his face warming again and with shaking fingers he tried to type back his thanks, only to get interrupted by Tyson calling for him.

"C'mon man let's get going."

"Oh, sorry guys." Ray said once he looked up from his phone, praying that the blush on his face wasn't as bad as it felt it was and crawled out of the SUV after the others.

"Who you talking to?" Tyson asked as he tried to lean towards Ray's phone only to have Ray quickly hit the power button and stuff it into his back pocket.

"Don't be nosy." He warned in a teasing tone with his hands on his hips.

Tyson just gave him a friendly smirk before he turned on his heel, Lee and Kenny already heading towards the school with the other students. Max somewhere between the two at the front and Ray and Mariah in the back, walking together hand in hand although Ray's hand was more limp in hers than an actual grip.

The closer they got to the opened gym doors the music was already pumping out through the halls, teachers and students crowded the halls as some were going while others were already leaving, some due to heart break from being stuck up by their date to trying to get themselves a room.

"Rick!" Max called and rushed over to the giant that was busy leaning against the wall talking to Kane and Salima.

"Max, what's up?" Rick asked as he turned to meet the bubbly blonde, dressed up for the occasion like the others. "And what's with that awful looking tie?"

Ray and the others walked by them once they got through the doors more, Tyson breaking off to find Hilary in conversation with the other girls on the cheer squad, like a small rabbit walking blindly into a den of lions.

Lee broke off to find his own small group to hang out with through the night while Kenny stood by the doors checking his watch, waiting on Emily to walk through any minute.

"Did you want to dance?" Ray asked once it was just Mariah and him.

"I actually have to go to the bathroom…" Mariah said in a low weak voice and before Ray could stop her she ran off across the gym to the locker rooms.

"Well… Okay then…" He said out loud to thin air, standing there alone in the crowd by himself unsure what to do until Tyson came over and slapped his hand down on his shoulder.

"She ditch you already?" He asked, having to shout over the music as it got louder.

"Just had to use the bathroom." Ray answered back and out of the corner of his eyes he watched Hilary's face flush a little, but he didn't know what for and didn't ask.

"Where'd Max go?" Tyson asked, looking around him through the crowd that was slowly getting bigger around them.

"Think he found a corner with Mariam." Ray answered with a smirk on his face but he knew better.

"Did he tell you what's going on?" Tyson asked him, his face getting serious.

Ray arched a brow at him, "Tell me what?" He asked.

There was a lot going on, Tyson needed to be a bit more specific.

"That his parents are getting a divorce."

"Tyson!" Hilary screeched at him, hitting his arm. "That's not for you to go around and tell anyone!" She yelled at him while he rubbed the sore spot she had hit.

"I didn't tell 'anyone' I told Ray and Ray's apart of our group and he should know what's up." Tyson defended with a scowl.

"No, he didn't tell me…" Ray said in a low voice, feeling bad for their friend while remembering the look in his eyes he had back at Tyson's. "When did he find out?"

"Yesterday they told him, when you and Kai weren't here." Tyson answered over the music.

Ray felt terrible about that, he wasn't there to console him like the friend he should have been. There wasn't much he could do for him though about it, all he could really do was be there for him but even then he had failed at that. As much as he wanted to sit in his own pity about it Mariah finally emerged back beside him, tugging on his arm.

"You feeling better?" Ray asked once he noticed her standing there.

"Just a little." Mariah answered and tugged his arm again, "Come dance with me."

Ray nodded, feeling like that was all he could do now and followed after her to the middle of the dance floor. Tyson and Hilary hanging back and watching them go until Tyson turned to Hilary and held a hand out to her only for her to turn her nose up at him.

"What'd I do now?" Tyson whined, his hand dropping back down to his side.

"You can't just go blabbering other peoples business like that, it's rude." She scorned him as she narrowed her eyes.

"Ugh, Max was going to tell him anyways." Tyson tried to reason in a whine.

"You still shouldn't do it, why can't you be more mature like your brother?" She continued and Tyson began to wonder why she kept going on like this, he was already tired of it and they had hardly spent less than ten minutes together and it wasn't the first time she had compared him to his brother. It was getting old.

"Okay fine, I'm sorry. Want to dance with me now?" He asked again as he held his hand back up for her, only for her to glance at it with contempt before finally taking it and let him lead her into the crowd with the other bodies that were already working up a sweat.

Eventually Max ended up joining them in the middle with Mariam dressed in a powder blue dress that reached her knees, her long blue hair up in it's normal high ponytail that swished behind her with every movement of her head as she danced to the music. Kenny, dateless, went off to sit with the other dateless kids off to the side sipping at a paper cup filled with punch. Lee had kept his distance from them, having hung around the seniors he knew from his classes and a few of the other boys on the track team in conversation with their dates under their arms.

Ray cringed and died a little inside as Tyson tried to grind himself against Hilary to the more upbeat music to a song he didn't know, watching Max's face for a reaction but once again he was lip locked with Mariam as a distraction. Mariah dancing in front of him would have been his distraction if his mind hadn't already started to wander away from him, his phone pressing into him every now and then and he couldn't get Kai out of his head.

He really wanted him to be there with them all, more importantly him, but once again was feeling it was better. That he had to put up the distance at some point before he ended up like Oliver, who had come in alone and had kept to himself off to the side watching everyone else.

Ray had caught him every now and then looking towards Enrique and the two girls he was dancing with and Ray's heart went out to him, Oliver looked about ready to be in tears at any second and before he could stop himself he went towards him away from the others.

"You want to come dance with us?" He asked him once he stopped in front of him.

Oliver's eyes had widened momentarily, taking Ray in front of him for a second more before he shook his head at him. His green hair having been curled around the bottom where it framed his face with an angelic like grace.

"I appreciate it mon ami, but I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Ray asked, shifting where he stood.

"I am, thank you though Ray. I really do appreciate it." Oliver said and gave him a soft smile.

Ray just nodded to him but didn't feel like going back out with the others, taking up the empty spot beside Oliver and leaned against the folded up bleachers. Oliver didn't say anything, liking the company and the quiet between them. Ray on the other hand was busy fighting with himself, he wanted to ask Oliver questions but didn't know how well he could trust him or if Oliver would tell him the things he needed to hear or wanted to hear.

Ray shifted again and Oliver watched him out the corner of his own eye for a second, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah." Ray answered quickly and Oliver frowned and turned to him slightly.

"You don't look alright. What's going on?" He pressed in a quiet voice.

Ray felt a shiver run down his back and felt his legs begging him to run away but didn't move aside from shifting again where he stood.

"I'm alright, really… I'm gonna go get some fresh air though…" He said as an excuse, hoping Oliver wouldn't object and the other boy just nodded with a look of worry on his face as Ray forced himself away from him and out the doors.

Outside in the parking lot he had pulled his phone back out of his pocket and went to his and Kai's conversation, only for his heart to sink because he hadn't replied to his last text almost an hour ago. Wondering where the time had gone since it really didn't feel like he had been in there an hour and now it was too late to text him back, he couldn't even think of what to say to him now and stuffed his phone back into his pocket and kept walking towards the road.

He was ready to go home and call it a night, at least in the quiet of his room he could think things through. If he had to he'd beat it into himself that what he felt for Kai was just more of a brotherly love, like the kind he had for Lee and Tyson and Max and Kenny. That Kai's crush on him was only one sided and would stay that way, even if it hurt them both.

As much as he wanted to keep up the charade he had with Mariah he knew it would only break him too at some point, not that he didn't care for her, he just didn't love her the way he knew she deserved.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He growled out to himself, hanging his head in shame as he continued down the sidewalk and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets as his phone went off with texts left and right that he ignored.

Getting wrapped up in his thoughts, halfway down the road in the direction of his house, he hadn't noticed the red car slowly driving along the side behind him until it pulled past him and stopped.

Ray's head snapped up and his hands balled into fists inside his jeans as he watched Brooklyn smoothly exit his car, standing between the open car door putting a hand on the top of the hood.

"It's kind of chilly out, c'mon I'll give you a ride." Brooklyn said in a smooth calming voice but it only lit a fire within Ray as a cold shiver ran down his spine as he locked eyes with him.

"I'd rather choke on glass." Ray spat angrily, his brain kicking in on him prompting his fight or flight response and it as it picked flight he walked past him again.

Brooklyn chuckled darkly in the back of his throat, closing his car door and stepped around the front of it as he folded his arms over his chest.

"I can arrange that."

"Go to hell and stay away from me!" Ray yelled over his shoulder not looking back at him and paused the moment his phone started to ring out Starset's Point of No Return, his heart sinking because that was Kai's ringtone he had set for him.

He let it ring, Brooklyn looking smug as he leaned against the front of his car as the song ended as Ray let it go to voicemail.

"That's his favorite song."

Ray's back tensed, his nails digging into the palms of his hands inside his pants. He knew it was, that's why he had made it his ringtone.

"The hell do you want?" Ray asked over his shoulder.

"I was just trying to be kind and offer you a ride."

"Well shove it up your ass." Ray growled back, his feet taking him away only for Brooklyn to peel his back off the front of his car and go after him.

"He's real sweet, isn't he?" He started and Ray's back tensed again, "Agreed to come with me in order to protect his little _pet_. Must say he's got some poor taste when it comes to sloppy seconds." He rolled off and Ray felt the anger rise in his stomach but he refused to turn around and look at him and bit his tongue from saying anything to him.

"Has he showed you? The results of our love making?" Brooklyn continued and bile rose into Ray's throat, having to swallow it down hard.

Ray wouldn't have dared called it love making, not with those scars on Kai's body that he knew were from Brooklyn and even though Kai hadn't shown him directly he had still seen them. It was what had started this whole mess they were in.

"Have you tasted him yet?" Brooklyn continued after Ray even though he had been keeping a good distance between them, getting further away from his car down the barely lit street.

"Because if you have… I'm going to kill you." Brooklyn's voice was as cold as the air around them and Ray froze, coming to a screeching halt on the sidewalk only two feet away from Brooklyn who had matched him once more and stopped with a twisted smirk on his face.

"I'd like to see you fucking try." Ray growled out, the finer hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Brooklyn's twisted smirk only grew bigger, he liked to watch them try and buck up against him. Made it that more fun.

"Oh? I'm sure we can arrange it."

"Say when and where." Ray bit back, finally turning around to meet his eyes with a hardened stare, his golden eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the night.

Brooklyn took a slow step towards him but Ray held his ground, his fight or flight switching to fight now as he narrowed his eyes harder as Brooklyn stepped closer to him.

Ray wasn't scared of him, he could take him. He had taken down bigger guys before, had been suffering at the hands of his uncle for years. Whatever Brooklyn had up his sleeve he felt he could face it head on. To protect Kai.

"Oh, what's this now? The little pet has a spine?" Brooklyn's words slithered out of his mouth, his teal eyes alighting with amusement.

"I got more than that."

"Is that so?" Brooklyn chuckled darkly and stepped towards him smoothly again, like he was floating on air, and stopped only a few inches away from him.

"Then lets see that fire in you."

Ray's fingers itched to hit him but he wasn't going to be the one to throw the first punch, he knew better than that.

"You wanted this, not me. Kai told you we aren't together."

"But you want to be, don't you? You like him." Brooklyn asked with a knowing look and Ray's body tensed up on him.

"He's a friend." He spat back dangerously.

"You don't have to lie to me, I can see it in your eyes… You love him."

"I…" Ray stammered, eyes wide wondering if Brooklyn could see it that easily how well could the others see it, or if they could at all?

Brooklyn chuckled darkly again at him, "A shame he'd never feel the same about you though, since you're so beneath him."

Ray's own smirk came back to him in full force, "On the contrary I know he likes me, far more than he'd ever like you. But I don't need to really tell you this since I can see it in yours eyes, you're scared of losing him to me and you've already lost." Ray spat back with a smug look as he watched Brooklyn's face fall slightly, knowing what Ray had said was true.

"He left you, and for damn good reason, why don't you get the fucking hint and drop dead?" Ray growled out in his own dark tone, staring him down only inches away from his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, since only a week ago I had him writhing under me calling my name." Brooklyn said as he leaned closer to Ray's face once he recollected himself, the twisted smirk winding it's way back to his lips as he watched what he figured was hate in Ray's eyes flash through quickly.

"That bothers you, doesn't it? You wish to do the same to him?" Brooklyn asked, stepping toe-to-toe with him.

"You're fucking crazy… I wouldn't want to do that- what you've done to him. If he were with me I'd only show him love, _real_ love and devotion! Treat him like an actual person deserves to be treated, because I actually love him! He regrets going to you that night, knows he made a mistake because that's all you are." He sneered back, getting his own face closer to Brooklyn's as his own smirk wound it's way to his lips.

"A. Mis-take." He spat at him, the words rolling off his tongue smoothly and smirked harder as he watched Brooklyn's eyes harden.

"The only mistake I see is _you_. You filthy piece of trash!" Brooklyn spat at him, "Should have been drowned at birth."

"I really should have, but sadly I wasn't and now we're done here. You stay away from Kai, or you'll regret it." Ray said back coolly as he stepped back from him.

"You dare tell me what to do?! He is _mine_!"

"He is not yours! He's his own damn person, not your fucking property or anything to you! I won't let you hurt him again!" Ray yelled back at him, standing his ground again with the distance he put up between them.

"You think you can stop me?! You don't know what I'm capable of!" Brooklyn screamed at him, his own fists balled at his sides.

"I'm right here waiting." Ray said in a patronizing voice, holding his arms out at his sides.

Brooklyn only growled through his clenched teeth, Ray's smirk unwavering as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's what I thought. Last warning. Stay away from him. You don't know what _I'm_ capable of." He said in his dark tone again, ready to leave him there alone in the dark when Brooklyn stepped forward and went to say something when a police car drove up beside them and Bryan stepped out quickly.

Brooklyn looked between Bryan and Ray, his smirk back on his face as he held his hands up and backed away towards his own car. Ray watched him go, trying to stop his frantically beating heart that was about to burst out of his chest at any minute. His arms and legs shaking on him so hard he felt he was about to collapse, he had put up a good front but to be honest he was scared to death.

Bryan walked over to him quietly as Brooklyn's car started up and he sped off past them, Bryan put a hand to Ray's trembling and sweat covered shirt with a firm hand.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine… What're you doing here?" Ray asked as he met his gray colored eyes.

"Was out patrolling, saw you two standing out here and stopped." Bryan said with a shrug, "C'mon I'll give you a ride home, you shouldn't be walking out here this late at night alone."

Ray nodded and let Bryan guide him to his patrol car, climbing into the passenger seat and buckled as Bryan sat himself behind the wheel and put the car in drive. The two going silent for the entire way, Ray taking the time to still his nerves and get past the adrenaline rush that was threatening to knock him out.

As they pulled onto the street his house was on Bryan pulled over in front of Kai's house as the others were climbing out of the car, everyone stopping and watching Bryan turn his car off and Ray step out on the passenger side of the car. Thankful that it was slightly dark out to hide the embarrassment that was all over his face as he stepped up to the family that looked like they had seen a ghost.

Kai shut the door to Natasha's car and met him halfway, the others filing around each other to head inside. Tala wrapping his arm around Bryan's as they walked behind his parents, a knowing smile on his face.

As they made it to the steps of the porch he stopped, "You're welcome to stay the night Ray." He called and continued to pull Bryan into the house with him and his parents, the door shutting behind them and leaving the other two outside in the darkened cold.

"You really don't have to, but you can… If you want… Tala said he can take you to work in the morning…" Kai reeled off quickly, thankful for the cover of the night since his own face was burning.

"I mean… I can… If it's not a problem. I'm sorry I didn't reply back to you… We got to the school and I completely forgot."

"I called you and you didn't answer… Why were you with Bryan?" Kai asked as he cocked a brow at him.

"He saw me walking home, picked me up." Ray said with a shrug of his shoulders, it wasn't a lie but not the full truth either. He didn't need Kai to worry about him if he told him it was because of his crazy ex.

"Why were you walking home, weren't you at the dance?" Kai asked, his brow reaching his hair line.

"Got tired of it, need to get up early for work and all… Why did you call me?" Ray asked with his own arched brow.

"Tyson called me saying he couldn't find you, so I called to see if you'd answer your phone for me since you were ignoring their texts and they didn't know where you went off to." Kai explained, "The dance really that bad?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders at him, "Wasn't that bad… Just… Not my thing I guess."

"Hn… Wanna come in then?" Kai asked as he tilted his head towards his house.

"Sure." Ray squeaked out, not even sure why he had and Kai smirked at him before turning on his heel and led the way to the porch with Ray behind him.

"You want to get some clothes to change into?" Kai asked as he stopped at the front door, hand on the handle and turned and looked Ray over quickly and feeling his face flush again. He looked good.

"Oh…" It was like he got slapped in the face and looked over his shoulder at his own house, his uncles truck was in the drive. "Nah, I'll be fine in this."

Kai had followed his eyes and nodded, he didn't want to risk him going over there just for a change of clothes when he had some he could use.

"I got some clothes you can wear if you want. Be more comfortable than sleeping in jeans." Kai said as he opened the door and stepped into the house, holding the door open for Ray as both their hearts felt like they were about to burst from within their chests as Kai shut the door behind him.

"You ugh… Have you eaten yet?" Kai asked as they stood there awkwardly by the front door.

"I did." Ray squeaked again.

"Okay… Um… This way… I guess…" Kai said awkwardly as he shuffled past Ray and the wall towards the hall and his room.

Ray followed him just as awkwardly, telling himself that he was making a big mistake in staying over but couldn't bring himself to go home and couldn't find it in himself to actually leave now that he was standing in Kai's room for a second time; though this time it was under completely different reasons.

Kai was more nervous, he had never had someone stay over for a night with him before. He didn't know what to do or what to talk about, he didn't even know why he had let Tala talk him and their parents in asking Ray to stay the night to begin with on the way home. He knew it would end up like this, stiff and awkward as all hell.

To distract himself and be a good host he went to his dresser and rummaged in it for a change of clothes for Ray and himself, pulling out a large shirt for the two of them and fleece pajama bottoms and held them up so Ray could choose which he wanted.

"Blue or black?"

"Blue?" Ray answered uneasily and caught the pants that Kai had tossed him along with the shirt.

"Bathroom is just across the hall, and there's a pack of toothbrushes under the sink." Kai said and motioned at the door with his handful of his own clothes.

Ray nodded and left him, shutting the door to Kai's room so he could change and went to the bathroom to change himself. Once behind the bathroom door he set the clothes down on the floor and turned to the sink, leaning on the counter as he tried to still his nerves.

"You're a dumbass, you know that?" He hissed at himself in a low tone as he stared at himself in the mirror.

"What the hell is this? Huh?! You're such a fuckin moron, I hope you're happy with yourself." He growled out and tore his gaze away from himself.

"This isn't putting up distance between you two… And you go and tell that asshole how you feel about him…" He mumbled under his breath, as if he had lost the fight within himself and his hands slipped from the countertop.

"This is great… You're in love with someone you can't ever be with… Good job Ray. Pat yourself on the back, take a bow you dumb fuck." He continued to mumble to himself as he got himself undressed slowly, his heart shattering within himself as he felt hot tears prick at his eyes.

"You can't love him… He's been hurt too many times to be hurt again and that's all you'd do to him… You're no good for him…" He reasoned with himself as his fingers worked their way down the buttons of his shirt, peeling it off his back and shaking it to the floor.

"Stan would kill you and then him, you can't do that to him." He said as his voice cracked, the tears pricking at his eyes more as he fought them back and got his pants off before pulling on the ones Kai had given him and then pulling the shirt over his head and pulled his hair out from under it.

He turned to the mirror again and stared into his own teary filled eyes, trying to stand tall as if he was challenging himself now.

"Maybe in another life…"


	16. Bring Me an End

**Hey guys, hope ya'll had a good week mine was... Long... But some good things did happen, so I can't complain all too much.  
Anyways, just a quick warning for this chapter. Brooklyn is back, that should be warning enough. **

**Loved everyone's reviews from last chapter, so thank you all.  
I'll see you all on Monday with the next update, and I hope ya'll have a good weekend. **

* * *

Ch 16- Bring Me an End. Sunday, October 14th

Carrying the clothes he had worn to the dance, Ray stepped out of the bathroom and back into Kai's room who had also changed into his sleeping clothes for the night. While he had been gone Kai had set up the small couch by the door for Ray to sleep on and had been sitting on the edge of his bed waiting for him to come back in. The two silently staring at one another for a moment, an unknown tension between them that neither could give an answer to.

They wanted to break it, it had to be broken at some point, but neither knew how or what to say for it to go away.

Finally, as if it pained him, Ray tore his gaze away from Kai's eyes and stuffed his clothes under the couch before he laid down on it and flinched slightly. Kai was right, the mark on his shoulder blade was still giving him problems and he hadn't wanted to admit it. Let alone show Kai that he was somehow weak.

"Why were you with Bryan?" Kai asked again, having watched Ray carefully and didn't miss him flinching when he laid down.

"I told you, he saw me walking home and picked me up." Ray answered as he stared up at the ceiling.

Anger boiled in Kai's stomach, he had asked both Bryan and Tala when Ray was in the bathroom why he had been with Bryan and neither had given him an answer. He didn't know why but he felt like there was more to it, there had to be, and he didn't appreciate everyone lying to him all of a sudden.

"You sure about that?" Kai asked as he arched a brow at him, even though Ray was still avoiding looking at him.

Ray finally rolled over to look at him, not missing the hardened glare he was now getting as the tension settled down on them harder. He never liked that look in Kai's eyes, it always scared him and he didn't even know why because he wasn't scared of Kai at all.

"I am…" Ray answered back defensively as he felt another argument coming between them, "I wasn't feeling good and left the dance on my own and he was driving by, said I didn't need to be walking alone at this time of night." He spat out at him as his own eyes narrowed dangerously, knowing no matter how hard Kai pressed he wasn't going to tell him about Brooklyn.

He said he'd handle him and he meant it.

Kai huffed and rolled his eyes before he shifted, kicking his legs up on his bed and laid on his back like Ray had done and stared up at his ceiling with his arms tucked under his head. The anger and disappointment swirling in his gut. Even though today had been like a trip to hell and back, he wasn't as exhausted as he thought he would be. All he wanted was for Ray to be honest with him, like he had been all along, and he could see that he wasn't telling him something now.

With it being well past ten o'clock now to them it felt like it was going be a long night together, the tension suffocating.

Ray reached up towards the light switch and flicked the lights off, casting the room in a darkness that covered them like the tension had and hadn't helped either of them.

Ray didn't want to tell him what had happened, there was nothing Kai could do about it now even if he had told him about Brooklyn and without meaning to he felt angry at Kai. It was his fault that Brooklyn had come back when Kai knew that he wasn't any good but he had reopened that door and had drugged him into it with him, he couldn't help it feeling angry towards him but he did even if he didn't want to. Now, aside with dealing with his own problems he had this on his shoulders and this time he was actually afraid for his life for once.

When he had told Kai that his uncle wouldn't kill him he meant it, he'd mark him and hurt him but even Stan knew when to draw the line and Ray knew that. Brooklyn was another story, in all honesty he didn't know what Brooklyn was capable of and he didn't want to find out.

With a defeated sigh he rolled over, putting his back to Kai, and closed his eyes to try and sleep off the long day wondering why it had to go all to shit so quickly. Any other time he would have been happy to be away from home but with the niggling in the back of his mind he couldn't be no matter how hard he tried to force himself to be. He had told himself he needed to put up a distance but it was like another part of him had ran away without him and he couldn't catch back up to it, stop it, before it threw everything out the window without a second thought.

There was too much to lose in this and he didn't want to lose any of it, he didn't think he'd survive if he did.

Kai's body tensed as he heard Ray rolling over and had watched him out the corner of his eyes through the darkness of the room, only able to really make out Ray's silhouette.

Like Ray he had wanted to put up space between them, having already told himself earlier that day that the lines he had been teetering on weren't meant to be crossed. Ray wouldn't, couldn't, see him in the same light as him. Ray had a girlfriend that he said he was happy to be with, there was no way he'd give that up for someone as broken as him.

Kai wanted to push him away, had tried to push him away even though the idea alone had hurt him and when Ray didn't run away he felt all at once relieved and scared. He knew he couldn't have him but that hadn't stopped the part of him that never listened from trying, reaching out as much as he could even though the better part of him had told him otherwise and to stop being foolish.

Who would want someone like him? He had reasoned. Who would want the baggage that came with someone so broken and stupid? Was another thing he had tried to tell himself.

He felt it, deep within his soul, the anger and guilt he held for having gone back to Brooklyn when he knew what kind of person he was. That he had jerked Ray into that mess of all things and was now risking his life, knowing that Brooklyn wasn't kidding when he had told Kai he'd slit Ray's throat in his sleep.

Sorry was on the tip of their tongues but never passed their lips. Kai's sorry would be for pulling Ray into his own mess, while Ray's sorry was just the same. Though as they lay there across from each other, feeling miles apart, the silence continued to loom over them until they fell finally managed to fall asleep two hours later.

* * *

Ray woke to his phone alarm going off underneath the couch he was sleeping on, his back cracking as he groaned and reached around for it. Kai flipping around and pulling his covers over his head to try and drown it out, having actually slept peacefully for once, even if he didn't really know why, and didn't want to get up.

With a defeated sigh, and like water splashing him in the face, everything hit Ray all at once and he froze slightly on the couch he had slept on in Kai's room. His phone alarm still going off, now in his hand, but he was too stunned and speechless to turn it off as his tired golden eyes took everything in like it was the first time seeing it. Brooklyn's face, that twisted smirk that made his gut wrench, came to his mind causing a shiver to run through him. His mouth went dry with the realization of what he had told Brooklyn.

He loved Kai.

He had admitted it, and to Brooklyn of all people, but still didn't seem like he could admit it to himself yet.

"Are you going to turn that off?" Came the grumbled and rough voice from across the room, snapping Ray from his slight daze.

Ray clocked Kai staring at him, his two-toned hair messed up from sleep and knowing his probably didn't look any better with all the tossing and turning he had done on the couch.

Ray gave him an apologetic smile and turned the alarm off, throwing the room in an uncomfortable silence that left the two staring at one another across the room again.

Ray knew he had to get up and go to work but it was like he was glued to the couch, while Kai tried to rub the sleep from his crimson eyes with the back of his hand. This was weird and rightly so, they hadn't really gone to bed on the best of terms and neither really knew why.

Ray could have told Kai about Brooklyn, he could still tell him now, but for some reason the words never formed or passed his lips. He didn't need Kai to worry about him, not more than he already knew he was. Ray said he'd take care of it and he meant it, he just wasn't sure how yet.

Kai on the other hand had heard him in the bathroom talking to himself, only catching a few things as he hadn't wanted to really eavesdrop on him but he had heard enough through the bathroom door as he got the extra sheets from the hall closet.

He didn't want to ask, hold out too much hope, who Ray had been talking about. It was more clear though, Ray loved someone other than Mariah but of course it couldn't be him; why would it be him?

Like another slap to the face Ray remembered that he had to actually get up and leave, it would be for the better anyways, he felt like he couldn't breathe right now with Kai staring at him almost expectantly.

He cleared his throat as he threw the sheets off of him, putting his feet on the cream colored carpet of the room and finally met Kai's eyes still watching him.

"Um… Thank you, for letting me stay."

Kai nodded, "Did… Did you need us to still take you?" He asked, having to clear his throat as well.

Ray shook his head, "No, I'll be good." He said as he pushed himself off the couch, "Where do you want me to put these?" He asked, motioning to the couch and the sheets.

"Just leave them." Kai said, his voice coming out more snippy than he had intended and Ray stared at him for moment before he nodded.

Turning and bending down he grabbed his clothes he wore to the dance, taking them to the bathroom so he could change in order to walk down the sidewalk next door and go home, even if he really didn't want to.

Kai watched his bedroom door close as Ray walked out and ran a hand down his face, expressing a deep breath as he did so. This was nerve wracking and he wanted it to stop. For his second sleep over this wasn't how he had imagined it, maybe he was doomed in having an actual friend over and actually enjoy it for once.

Ray came back into Kai's room, the clothes he had worn in his arms and met Kai's eyes with the silent question of where they should go. Kai just nodded to the couch and Ray sat them down, having folded them, and stood back up as his breath caught in his throat again.

If he told him it would make things worse so he kept his mouth shut.

"Thanks again… I'll see you at school." Ray said with a weak wave before stepping out, Kai just nodding again and watched him go for a second time.

It wasn't long till he heard the front door open and then close, letting out another breath as the tension in the room seemed to have left with Ray. This was perfect.

He threw himself back down on his bed, covering his eyes with the back of his arm as he wished it would just open up and swallow him whole. To his dismay it didn't and then the worst happened, his brother came bounding into his room dressed and ready to go and only paused when he finally took around him.

"Where is he?" Tala asked, the wolfish grin on his face getting smacked off of him.

"He left." Kai answered back in a dull and tired voice.

"I thought we were taking him to work?" Tala asked, his voice almost higher pitched than normal as he put his hands on his hips. "Did you scare him away with your snoring?"

Kai's face warmed, staying behind the back of his arm. "I do not snore!" He bit out angrily in a low growl.

"Then what the hell? Bryan and I practically drop him into your lap and you let him go?!"

Kai shot up, his face just as red as his eyes as he stared at his brother with all the burning rage of the sun.

"And would you two both be happy to tell me _why_ he was with Bryan to begin with?!"

Tala sucked on the inside of his cheek, looking slightly taken back by the sudden outburst before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno, Bryan only told me he saw him walking near your school." He told him as he turned his head to look away from him, his face framed by his two strips of red hair.

"Don't lie to me! There's something the three of you are hiding!" Kai bit out at him and before Tala had a chance to respond there was a knock on Kai's open door, the two boy's heads snapping to Micah standing in the doorway.

"That's enough yelling, it's too early for this." He said in a tired voice, hiding his mouth behind a hand as he yawned. "If you two keep yelling you're going to wake your mother and none of us wants that."

Kai and Tala swallowed hard, he was right. If they woke Natasha it was going to be hell. The two nodded to their father and Micah nodded back before he drug himself back to his bedroom at the end of the hall.

Tala turned and looked back at Kai, giving him a softer look before he sat down on the still made up couch and held Kai's more tamed heated gaze.

"If he didn't want to tell you then I'm not going to." Tala told him gently, not wanting to set him off again.

Kai bit the inside of his cheek, it wasn't like Ray had kept much from him before so why would he all of a sudden start now, and who had he been talking about last night?

"Okay?" Tala asked, looking as though he had just repeated himself and he had been, Kai staring past him at the wall with a blank expression on his face until he blinked and looked at him again and nodded.

Tala gave him another small smile before he chewed on his bottom lip, "Sucks though, was really wanting to take him to work."

Kai arched a brow, "So you could embarrass us all with your shitty taste in music?"

"Hey, I'm sure he'd like my music." Tala bit at him playfully before he stood up, patting his thighs a little. "Well, since he's gone guess I'll just go cuddle with Bry some more. See you at lunch Skittles." He waved over his shoulder as he left Kai along, shutting his door for him again.

Kai watched him go and the door quietly close after him, feeling like the air got sucked from his lungs as Tala left him. He was alone, again, and on any other day he'd have liked it but today he didn't like that idea.

If he was to be honest with himself he rather liked the idea of Ray staying over, if it had gone better of course. Wondering if it had been doomed from the start or not.

* * *

Back over in his own home Ray had crept through the back door, it had been a Saturday night and he knew his uncle would be passed out on the couch in the living room, having probably drunk himself into a stupor and he was thankful that he hadn't been there.

Quietly he stepped into his room, closing and locking the door behind him and like he knew it his uncles loud snores had echoed down the hall from the living room.

He shook off the clothes he had worn the night before, kicking them into a pile by his desk with his other dirty clothes that were starting to pile back up, and rummaged for a change of work clothes. Grabbing his hair brush out of his side table by his bed he took himself to the floor length mirror in the corner by his desk, getting to work on the knots that had accumulated over the night and as he raised his arm to brush he winced in pain, the cut on his shoulder blade flaring again and cursed under his breath.

That one stung, worse than he could remember any of them hurting before. He turned slightly, pulling his hair around his other shoulder to see if he could get a good look at it but it was hard to. He could barely see the end of it, the little bit of flesh peeking just below the bone and he twisted around harder and strained his eyes until he gave up on trying to see it.

"Great…" He huffed to himself before an idea struck him and he rummaged through his dirty clothes for his jeans he had worn, pulling out his phone and put his back to the mirror as he held the phone up with the selfie mode on.

He guided it around till he got a good look and his face paled slightly before he took the picture, using the zoom in feature to look at it better and cursed under his breath again.

It looked like it wasn't properly healing, it was read and puffy and swollen around the tan skin with a bit of yellowish ooze seeping out.

With an irritated growl he threw his phone across his room where it hit the wall and fell onto his bed, putting both hands to his face and groaned as he winced again at the pain. Thinking it must have opened during the night or something, but this was going to hinder him from working and school and track.

Outside his door he could hear his uncle waking up and he froze, his heart pounding in his chest as he listened to the man's feet slam against the hardwood floor and a door close. Ray let out a breath of air, his heart slowing down once he realized he wasn't in any immediate danger. Not wanting to test his luck today though he grabbed his work clothes and threw them on best he could, hissing in pain the entire time he worked his shirt over his head at the pain it caused in his shoulder blade.

He threw his hair in a bun, doing it almost one handed, and grabbed his shoes before he slipped out of his room quietly. His uncles snores now coming through his closed bedroom door.

Grabbing the keys off the hook by the door he slipped out the front door and got into the truck, slamming the door shut and started it up and waited for it to warm up as he lit a cigarette to calm his nerves. Blaring his music he backed out of the gravel drive and sped off down the road, not realizing that a small red car had pulled off the side of the road and started following him.

He knew he was early, not that he cared, he was supposed to work the second shift and it was only ten in the morning. Janett was there before him, getting the place open and she gave him a questioning look as he pulled the truck into the parking lot with his music still going that shook his windows.

He hadn't even noticed her step up to the passenger side, belting out the lyrics to the song he was currently listening to and jumped slightly as Janett came around the drivers side and poked him in the arm to get his attention, his window having been down the entire forty minute drive.

"Fuck!" He yelped, his heart racing in his chest as Janett gave him a smug grin as he turned the music all the way down and her nose curled at the stench of smoke surrounding him and the inside of the pickup.

"Morning Ray, what're you doing here so early?" She asked as she looked him over quickly, she was almost like the mother he never had but she claimed she hated kids and treated him no different.

"Came to help." He told her as he shut the truck off, pulling the keys out of the ignition and opened the door as Janett stepped back for him. "Sorry I didn't see you earlier."

"It's okay, just don't be spacing out like that when you're driving. God knows you teenagers are already prone to getting into accidents these days with your smart phones and other shit." She said to him in a stern tone and he just cracked a smile at her, she was always a pleasure to be around. Like trying to hug a cactus while having a sunburn.

"Don't even know why you have a license at your age, I didn't get mine until I was married." She rambled off, walking towards the diner with the keys in her hands so she could unlock the doors.

Ray just followed her and rolled his eyes, that small smile still on his face as he let her ramble off to him about 'the kids these days' as she let them into the diner. They parted ways as she went to go clock in and he went to the blinds to open the place up and let some light in, the two in silence as they went about doing their own thing for a short time until she called him into the back with her.

The diner for what it was worth was well kept, something Stan actually prided in having and Ray hating working in but it kept money in his pocket for when he could up and leave.

With checkerboard tile floors, and booths along the left wall of the door it was open and spacious. There was a bar where more patrons could sit and look into the kitchen and watch them work, it was like being in a zoo and on display, ironically there was a jukebox at the back by the kitchen door that most people ignored. The wallpaper was outdated, much like the ones in his own home, but it gave the place some character. Everything else was decked out in white, the tables a deep brown, with a few posters and pictures hanging up. It wasn't much and even though he hated it, it was like being in a second home.

"I just got off the phone with Ashley, she's not coming in today so you're working two shifts." Janett told him, her red eyes reflecting the anger she held for the other girl.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, cursing himself mentally as his wound flared but held it down.

"Not a problem, could use the money anyways." He said, trying to sound like himself even though he wanted to cry out in pain.

Janett narrowed her eyes at him, "You say that but you weren't here the other day either." She scorned him and he flinched a little at her harsh tone, "Just because you're Stan's nephew doesn't mean you get to just waltz in here whenever you damn please." She bit at him and he nodded sheepishly at her.

"Get the grills going, you know what to do." She huffed at him and went out the back door where they normally took their breaks, looking like she was ready to be done with the day already.

Ray did as he was told, they weren't going to be open for another hour and didn't get busy until lunch time but with it being a Sunday they were more than likely going to be slow throughout most of the day, once the Church rush was over at least.

They had three more people on the clock and he prayed, for his own sanity, that they would all show up on time. It wasn't long before the first straggler came in, twenty minutes late, and Ray stood back as Janett laid into him and Ray gave the poor guy an apologetic smile that the man returned with the flip of his middle finger.

His name was Andrew and Ray didn't really care for him, he was new and lazy and always messed up orders no matter how easy they were. Ray had a suspicion that Andrew was stealing from the till but didn't think much of it too often, it wasn't really his problem.

Slowly the other workers came in, on time, and not too long did they get their first sets of hungry customers. Janett put on her best actress face, going about taking orders like a good host as Ray worked the grill beside Quinton in silence. Making sure that they both worked in sync to get the orders out quickly and in a timely manner.

The first rush was finally over, everyone pitching in to help clean up the mess that had been left from the twenty or so people that had come in. Janett disappeared without a word, leaving the others to do the dirty work and wait for the next rush to come in.

Once he was done, leaving the others, Ray took himself out front to his truck for his own little break. Popping a cigarette between his lips and inhaled heavily, making sure to keep his back from touching the seat. The last thing he needed was going to the hospital to get it looked at, all morning his shirt had been getting stuck to his shoulder blade which could only mean it was oozing something awful now. Thankfully his shirt was dark and not white, he didn't need it seeping through where the others could see it or cause a stain he'd have to fight out with bleach.

Out of habit he pulled out his phone, there were no new text messages from anyone and he wasn't sure if he was happy or not. Nobody had called him either and that didn't help his mood one way or another. He thought about texting Kai and tossed that thought out the window, there was nothing to say to him right now or the others so he put his phone away and finished his cigarette before he climbed out of the truck.

His heart sunk to his stomach as he watched a familiar red car pull into the parking lot, his fists clenching at his sides as Brooklyn stepped out and gave him that same smile that caused his blood to run cold. Before he could stop him Brooklyn took himself into the diner and through the windows, that outlined the front of the building, Ray watched him get a booth in the back corner by himself.

Slamming his truck door Ray went back in, he wasn't going to play these games with him anymore. If Brooklyn wanted a fight he was going to give it to him, not cower away and hide. Already he did that at home and he was paying the price for it now.

The second he stepped back inside the diner he felt Brooklyn's eyes latch onto him as he kept his own focused on getting into the kitchen, the door swinging almost violently behind him as he stepped back up to the grill beside Quinton.

"You okay there?" Quinton asked, eyeing Ray beside him.

Ray just nodded to him, scrubbing at the grill he had been working at with the tip of his metal spatula and wondered if he'd be the one doing the honors of cooking for Brooklyn, wanting to spit in his food out of spite.

"Hey… That man asked to talk to you." Ana said in a low whisper as she stepped up behind Ray, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Of course he did…" Ray mumbled to himself, putting his spatula away and pushed between Ana and Quinton as he snatched up a yellow note pad.

Brooklyn watched him with a smirk as he came back out of the kitchen as Ray stepped up to his table, Brooklyn leaned his elbows on the top of the table, the menu Anna had given him laying between them, as he put his chin in the dip his hands created as his fingers laced together.

"What can I get you?" Ray asked, his voice dripping venom as there was a fire in his eyes. Keeping himself a foot away from the table, his pen at the ready.

"I didn't come here to eat." Brooklyn told him and looked around with his eyes a little, "Don't want to risk getting food poisoning."

Ray's blood boiled a little at that remark until he looked at Brooklyn calmly, his own smirk on his lips. "Then get out, paying customers only." He spat and turned on his heel, ready to leave him.

"Oh, I did. I ordered a water." Brooklyn told him, his smirk only getting broader as he watched Ray's back tense. "I'm not here for the food and you know it."

Ray turned around to face him, not wanting to draw the attention of the others. "You can see I'm a bit busy, so come back another time and then I'll deal with you."

"You'll deal with me?" Brooklyn asked, his red brows raising as he looked amused at the implication.

"Say when and where."

Brooklyn chuckled behind his hand, setting it back down as he leaned into the booth. "You humor me, really." He said in a fake voice.

"And you're bothering me." Ray spat back, narrowing his eyes at him. "The hell do you want right now anyways?"

"Just for you to see me, since you didn't get the chance to this morning."

Ray's heart slammed into his chest, "You followed me?" He whispered out harshly and Brooklyn nodded at him, not looking fazed at all but quiet pleased as he watched the fear return to Ray's eyes.

"You know where I live and work, congrats, you're a fucking psycho." Ray continued in a low hiss, a growl at the back of his throat. "Now what?"

"You die." Brooklyn said, his teal eyes locking onto Ray's as his words slithered out of his mouth.

"It'd be a fucking pleasure." Ray spat at him and watched Brooklyn's face falter for a second before he had enough of this, quickly scribbling something down on the note pad and slammed it down on the table in front of the man.

The two held each other's heated glares for a second longer before Ray slipped his hand off the table, leaving the note there, and stepped back into the kitchen as Brooklyn watched him go with an even more heated glare.

Curious, Brooklyn picked up the note Ray had left him and read over it quickly as his smirk turned into a twisted smile. Slipping from the booth he took his leave quietly, Ray keeping his back to him the entire time until the door shut behind him.

"Okay, who was that?" Anna asked, not giving him a second to breathe.

"Just a jerk." Ray answered her quickly, praying that she wouldn't keep prying.

"What did he want?" Quinton was next and Ray had to keep himself from rolling his eyes.

"Guys, please. It's not a big deal, I just know him from school."

"He looks a bit old to still be in school." Anna said, not looking like she bought any of what Ray said to her before throwing her hands up. "Fine, don't tell us."

"I wasn't going to anyways." Ray smirked at her and she glared at him before pushing past him to clean up the table Brooklyn had been sitting at.

"Think she likes you." Quinton chuckled to him and Ray made a face.

"I have a girlfriend." Ray answered and for the first time it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"How is that going?" Quinton asked, looking over his shoulder at the shorter teen still standing beside him and his grill.

"It's going…" Ray answered off handedly, going around the bigger teen to his own grill and firing it back up.

Quinton just shrugged, not being put off by Ray's snappy attitude and they continued to work in silence through the rest of their shifts.

By closing Ray's feet were killing him, getting a sudden rush near the end of closing where he worked the grill and register till his second shift was done and it was nearing eight at night. The night manager showed up, relieving Janett from her work and the two walked each other out after clocking out.

"Have a good night." Ray said to her as she unlocked her car, only doing it because he knew she'd snap at him with something; he liked ruffling her feathers.

Janett paused as she opened her car door, leaning on the top of it as she gave him a dull look. "Do I look like I'm in the mood to have a 'good night'?"

"Nope." Ray said with a smirk, shaking his head a little at her. "Wouldn't hurt you to try though."

"And you better watch what you say to me." She scorned, pointing her car keys at him.

Ray chuckled as he held his hands up, "Yes ma'am."

"Don't call me that, I'm not old." She lied. She was nearing sixty at best.

"Night Janett." Ray said as he headed for his truck on the other side of the parking lot, waving over his shoulder now that he was done getting his entertainment for the night.

As he started up the truck he pulled his phone back out, letting the heat kick on since it was freezing inside the truck now after having sat all day and he had forgotten to grab himself a jacket.

He scanned through the web browser he had pulled up as another smirk came to his lips, closing it down once he got what he needed and pulled up his contacts before he put it to his ear as it started to ring.

* * *

Slowly Ray pulled his truck into the parking lot of the abandoned mall on the cities limits, Brooklyn's little red car sitting there alone in the middle parked over the lines. The man leaning against the front of the hood, teal eyes locked on the black pickup as it rolled in and stopped across from where his own car was.

Ray turned the truck off, stepping out of it and stuffed his hands into his jean pockets as the wind picked up around him and blew wisps of loose hair around his face. Making his way over to Brooklyn as the man peeled his back off the front of his car, meeting him halfway.

"I'm surprised you showed up." Brooklyn started, the two standing three feet apart in the middle of the parking lot.

"You really shouldn't be." Ray retorted with a shrug of his shoulders, "You want me dead, I'm right here waiting."

Brooklyn looked at him hard, the two of them being illuminated by the headlights of their cars, and for once there was no fear in Ray's eyes.

"You really think I won't?!"

"If you were going to, you would have by now." Ray snapped back with an uncaring attitude, "You don't scare me, I've had the same threat spat at me half of my life. You hold no power over me, whether you want to think you do or not."

There was silence between them, the only sounds were other cars rushing by on the road several feet away from where they were. Brooklyn's teeth grinding together as his fingers itched to hit the arrogant teenager in front of him, instead he reached behind him and pulled out a gun that had been stashed in the waistband of his jeans.

"Do I scare you now?!" His voice boomed across the empty parking lot, a darkness over his face as he held the gun up at Ray.

"No."

Brooklyn growled and stepped closer, keeping the gun trained on Ray the entire time as he closed the gap between them. Ray stayed where he was, not flinching or moving, his face hard as stone until the barrel of the gun was pressing into the side of his head.

"I'll do it, I swear I'll fucking do it!"

"Then do it." Ray didn't even bat an eye as a smirk curled it's way up his lips.

Brooklyn pushed the gun into the side of Ray's head harder, his arm shaking slightly as he held Ray's eyes with his again. Trying to search for the fear he desperately wanted to see, only to find nothing in them but a broken boy.

Brooklyn jerked the gun away from Ray's head and shot at the empty building across the parking lot, turning the gun back on Ray who hadn't even jumped. His only reaction was him closing his eyes as the gunshot had rung through his ears, making them ring.

"I'm not playing!" Brooklyn screamed at him, pointing the gun back at Ray as he took a step back from him.

"If you don't want me around Kai anymore, then you'll have to kill me. Otherwise, you're going to lose him for good." Ray said as he met Brooklyn's eyes, seeing in them what Brooklyn had wanted out of him and that only emboldened him more.

"You're worthless, you're filthy dirty trash and nobody will mourn you!" Brooklyn yelled, his arm shaking again. "I won't let you win!"

Just as his finger moved back to the trigger the deafening sounds of police sirens broke through the stillness of the cold night air and Brooklyn froze up, Ray only smirking at him again as three police cars pulled into the parking lot at once. The second the cars stopped, making a semi-circle in the middle where Brooklyn and Ray had been standing, the police all jumped out with their own guns at the ready and focused on Brooklyn.

"Drop the weapon!"

"Put your hands up!"

"Put your hands behind your head where we can see them!"

Came the slew of commands, more following harshly and Brooklyn did as he was told. Ray watching almost victoriously as the second Brooklyn was down on his knees two of the three officers jumped him, pinning him to the ground and putting handcuffs on him.

Bryan watched quietly and then stepped up to Ray, giving him a worried look for a second and searched his eyes but found nothing in them much like Brooklyn had.

"You know this was dangerous." Bryan said to him and Ray just nodded.

"I knew he wasn't going to."

"No, you didn't know that. You're lucky we didn't shoot him when he fired that first shot." Bryan argued back, his voice getting deeper in his anger.

"He needed to fire it, otherwise I wouldn't be able to press the charges I need to in order to keep him away for good this time. You know that." Ray argued back, his feet carrying him towards the car the two other officers were pushing Brooklyn into.

"Good luck on getting daddy to get you out of this one, shouldn't be carrying a gun while on parole." Ray said to him and Brooklyn's eyes widened slightly.

"You little shit!" Brooklyn yelled as he thrashed in the back of the car, trying to free his hands from the cuffs.

"Oh and. I win." Ray said smugly as he shut the door to the police car, Brooklyn's yelling and screaming breaking through the closed door and window.

"Do you want a ride home?" Bryan asked as he came back up beside Ray, the two watching the other two police cars driving off.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for comin out." Ray said, still looking unfazed.

"You sure?" Bryan asked as he watched Ray start to walk away from him.

"Yeah, and don't tell Tala or Skittles about this." Ray said as he spun around, still walking away from him. "Don't want them to worry."

Bryan nodded as he watched him go, part of him wanting to stop him and the other half wanting him to go so he could clear his head; he could get his report from him another time.

Ray waved at him and turned back around before disappearing through the darkness of the parking lot, leaving his truck still running and it's headlights on so at least he could find it when he was ready to head home.

Bryan watched him go until he couldn't see him anymore and got into his own car and drove off, Ray's secret safe with him.

As Ray continued walking with each step he felt the tears wanting to break through, having kept them at bay for so long he finally let them break. His adrenaline leaving him almost exhausted but he wasn't ready to go home, he didn't want to deal with more problems the second he stepped inside that hell hole.

Truth be told he had been terrified, never so close to deaths door before and he wondered how stupid he had become over the course of the past few weeks. Nothing was the same anymore and he didn't know who to blame, or if there was even someone to blame in all of this. It would have been easy, too easy, to point the finger at Kai but not everything was his fault.

It wasn't his fault that Ray had already lived a pretty shitty life, wasn't his fault that Brooklyn was unhinged or that Ray had shown him his deepest and darkest secret.

Through it all Ray was still happy, grateful, for having been open about it to someone who could at least understand on some level. The only thing he couldn't be happy about was how fast everything had come about, to opening up and showing him to letting him clean his wounds like some damsel in distress. That thought left a bad taste in his mouth, how much farther could he fall he wondered.

Walking on he continued his inner musings, for once keeping them inside his head before he stopped dead in his tracks. His words finally breaking past his lips.

"I love him."


	17. An End to the Start

**Good Monday every body!  
**

 **I know, I sound like a broken record, but thank you all for your reviews. Was really happy to see what ya'll thought about Ray's little reckless stunt.**

 **Real quick, this is a bit... Gross? Is the best way I can explain it. Mentions of blood and ooze and the start of an infection. I'm just warning everyone so you don't go an eat something while reading... That would be bad.**

 **Shout out to EVERYONE! Seriously, I love you all.**

 **PreciousRoy and I RP'd the dialogue between Kai and Ray in the locker room, near the end of the chapter. She was Kai and I was Ray.**

 **Will see ya'll on Friday! Enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 17- An End to the Start. Monday, October 15th

With a hiss and a pop Ray pulled himself off his back as his morning alarm blared, loudly by his head, his phone vibrating against the top of his nightstand, and as he reached out to turn it off the pull in his back caused another hiss to pass his lips as an unbearable pain flared through his shoulder. Pushing past it to turn off his phone he reached out and snatched it up and shut the alarm off, with the offending noise now taken care of he fell back onto his bed only to roll over as a yell of pain escaped him.

As if he had just now noticed, he became aware of the sweat that covered him, his shirt sticking to him like a second skin and among the sweat there was something else trickling down his back. With fear ridden eyes he rolled himself off his bed, not wanting to anger the wound on his shoulder blade, he carefully peeled his nightshirt off as he came to stand in front of his mirror and turned to try and get a look at his back.

Like the first time he couldn't get a good look at it and used his phone, snapping a picture of the wound that had now become more red around the tan skin with puss and a yellowish discharge seeping out of it and down his back.

As he took in a heavy breath the wound flared again and he hissed out, clenching his phone in his hand before he threw it across his room again where it hit the wall before falling onto his bed.

"How the hell am I going to get through the day with this?" He asked himself out loud, twisting his neck around to try and look at it again.

He didn't have an answer for himself and trying to look at it again only angered him more. Grabbing a clean pair of clothes from his dresser he took the bundle in his arms to the bathroom for a quick shower, hoping that the water would help cool his body down and get some of the wound clean.

With the bathroom door closed and locked beside him, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet and plucked out an orange pill bottle. Popping two large white tablet in his mouth he turned to the shower and started it up before undoing his hair, one handed, and stepping out of his basketball shorts. Letting the warm water envelope him, having pulled his hair to the side so the water could hit his back, he bit into his bottom lip to keep from crying at the force of the water hitting the open and infected wound.

He knew there wasn't anything he'd be able to do about it except hope that the antibiotics from last year would help him, this wasn't a first for him but it didn't make having to live with it any easier. The worst part of him thought about asking Kai to wrap it for him since he couldn't reach but he shoved that thought down quickly, he didn't need Kai to see him like this because he knew there would be an argument over it that he didn't want to deal with. The idea of not going to school had crossed his mind as well but he didn't need his grades slipping, that would only be another reason for a beating.

One handed he washed himself down best he could and when he stepped out of the shower it was harder to dress himself than he thought was possible. The towel he had used was now stained with the yellowish puss, from where he had tried to dry it off, and he tossed it in the hamper that sat between the toilet and shower as it only made his anger boil over.

With his long hair wet and dripping water onto the floor, sticking to his clean clothes, he went out to find another towel in the dresser in the hall and pulled one out to try and get his hair a bit less wet before he had to leave. Skipping breakfast he grabbed his backpack and tossed it over his left shoulder, slamming the front door shut since his uncle wasn't home.

Kai watched him step outside, the temperature having dropped again, and like it his stomach flipped as he watched Ray come out of his home with his hair only pulled back in a low ponytail still dripping some with water as he stepped up to him. Ray had painted on a neutral face, not wanting to stir up anything with him and the two fell in silence beside each other as they waited for Lee's SUV to come rolling down the road to pick them up.

Even with them standing so close, not even realizing that their shoulders were barely touching, they felt like they were miles apart from one another. Kai still felt something, not even sure what it was, anger and hurt from not knowing what had happened the night of the dance that landed Ray in Bryan's car and the tense atmosphere when Ray had stayed the night with him. Ray, knowing that even being beside Kai wasn't going to keep his problems at bay but he swore he'd never tell Kai what had happened between him a Brooklyn the night of the dance or the night before.

They were playing a game of tug-of-war that they hadn't even signed up for, but they could feel the tension rising between them again without want or warning. At least, as Ray thought, they wouldn't be thrown together until after lunch but that was only if Kai stayed away from the library and he prayed that he would.

When Lee pulled up to the side of the road to pick them up Ray stepped up first, minding his right shoulder and arm, and climbed into the packed truck with the others who all gave him a chorus of good mornings that he returned. As Kai climbed in behind him he got the same greeting that he returned with a curt nod of his head, shutting the door and settled in his seat before a cold chill ran down his back and he shifted closer to the door.

Out the corner of his eye, before Lee had even started to pull away from their homes, Ray had pulled Mariah into a long and almost demanding kiss. The only ones to have really seen it were Max and Tyson in the very back where they promptly looked away just as quickly as Kai had done, though unlike them his stomach was tightening with anger and jealousy.

"Well good morning to you too." Mariah said a bit breathlessly once Ray had let her go, moving closer to him where she could rest her head on his shoulder.

Ray kept his eyes focused on the window closest to Mariah, knowing exactly why he had done it but didn't feel any better or anything from it like always. He had to stop it though, stomp out the crush he knew Kai had on him and the same one he had for the other boy. They couldn't, he wouldn't, risk their lives to be together and he hoped Kai would somehow understand and move on. He was trying to.

Before Lee had even put the truck in park when they arrived at the school Kai had already thrown open the door and stepped out, unable to stand it and stormed towards the school with the other students who had arrived at the same time. Some of them starting the week off in their costumes, it was Meme Day or something like that. Kai didn't care, everyone looked stupid to him and he hardly paid them any mind.

Tyson and Max shared a look before turning to Ray who hadn't even spared their friend a second glance, letting Mariah get out before him as he followed after her. Outside with their feet on the ground he put his good arm around her shoulders and started into the school with Lee beside them, the younger three climbing out together and exchanging more concerned glances between each other before shrugging and following after the others quickly.

At his locker, blocking everything else around him, Kai shoved his backpack inside as he dug out his Algebra book and slammed the door shut only to jump slightly back as Oliver gave him a bright smile only for it to fall at the look in Kai's eyes. Unlike the others Oliver looked like he had forgone doing a costume, like him and the others of his group.

"Mon ami, what's wrong?" He asked gently.

Kai's back tensed, the last thing he needed was some random boy he had stuck up one time to be getting into his business. He had already let one person in and he was slowly regretting it, he didn't want to make the same mistake twice.

"Nothing." Kai shot at him as he turned on his heel, only for Oliver to reach out and stop him with a soft hold on his shoulder.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, you can talk to me Kai." Oliver assured, with that same calm and gentle tone he was well known for.

"Look, you have your problems I have mine." Kai told him over his shoulder before he jerked it out of Oliver's hold.

"I'm only trying to return the favor here Kai, I didn't mean to overstep."

Kai considered it, the French boy didn't do anything to deserve his harsh treatment. With a heavy exhale his shoulders relaxed and he turned to face him properly again, trying to put up a better front.

"I'm fine Oliver, just didn't sleep good. I'm sorry for snapping at you." He said and held Oliver's eyes for as long as he could until he looked away from him through the apology.

Oliver's smile came back to him, "It's alright. I've had days like that myself, no harm done mon ami. But I did want to ask you something, if you don't mind?"

Kai glanced at him and nodded, giving him the go-ahead to ask him what he wanted now.

Oliver's small smile took over the width of his mouth at that, his eyes shining brightly. "It's my personal and official invitation to my Halloween party, it'll be the Saturday after the homecoming game."

Kai shook his head; no way was he going to a party. "I appreciate the offer but I'll have to decline."

Oliver didn't look like he was about to give up though, pulling out a small orange and black envelope form the bag that hung off his shoulder and held it out to Kai.

"Think about it first, won't you? Food and drinks will be provided so all you'll need is yourself and a costume, of course." He said as he held the envelope closer to Kai until the other boy felt like he didn't have a choice but to take it.

Kai gave him a nod of his head and slipped it through his locker, he'd throw it away later.

"I'll be off now and we'll talk more in gym. Au revoir." He called over his shoulder, having already spun around to take his leave for his own first period.

Kai just watched him go, pulling his book closer to his side before he too spun away and headed for his first class of the day. Dreading it already and even more so when he saw Tyson and Kenny standing outside the door as if they had been waiting for him, he promptly ignored them, only greeting the teacher as he stepped inside the room, the other two hot on his heels.

"What's going on?" Tyson demanded, barely giving Kai a second to sit down in his seat.

Kai just looked at him, riling the other boy up where he threw both his hands down onto the top of Kai's desk.

"Something is going on between you and Ray and I wanna know what it is. He won't talk to Max or us, but he disappeared on us Saturday night and we haven't heard from him all weekend. Do you know what's going on?" Tyson asked him loudly, drawing the attention of the others in the room to the two of them.

Kenny just stood to his side watching quietly as Kai's stare turned into a hardened glare, his lips sealed shut as if they had been glued together. What was there to tell them? Kai didn't even know why Ray had left the dance on Saturday, he refused to tell him so there was nothing to tell Tyson or the others, even if he wanted to.

"You're really not going to say anything either?" Tyson groaned out.

"What was your first hint?" Kai asked him coolly, pulling his arms around his chest.

"Alright fine, but don't think this is over." Tyson threatened but Kai knew it was an empty threat and watched him take his seat near the front of the class just as the bell rang.

Martin came in, drawing the classes attention and even though Kai's eyes were on him the entire time the only thing he registered was the bells ring a half hour later. Going through the motions with the other students he got up and filed out with them, avoiding Tyson and Kenny as he made his way back to his locker, where he traded out his Algebra book for his History one and wandered through the crowded halls with the other students.

Mullins greeted him at the door with his finger guns again and a wink, though Kai barely made eye contact with him as he took his seat. Much like Martins class the only thing he registered was the bell but he found himself stuck to his chair, the other students getting up and filing out quickly.

"Everything alright there?" Mullins asked, having sat down at his desk where Kai's was sitting in front of.

Kai nodded, being slightly pulled back to wherever his mind had wandered off to.

"You're always a quiet boy, which is easy for me, but today you seem a bit different. If there's anything I can do to help, I'm right here." Mullins said and Kai nodded his thanks, a bit taken back since the man he always saw as funny and goofy looked serious for once.

"Thanks Mr. Mullins." He made sure to be as polite as he could, closing up his History book before pulling away from his seat.

"Anytime son, and you take care." There were the finger guns again and the wink, Kai having to fight the eye roll as he nodded again and took himself out of the room quickly and quietly.

Now came the tricky part, lunch. He had the option of skipping it and facing Ray or joining the others and facing them, which he no doubt would be nothing filled with questions about what was going on. How they even knew something was up was beyond him, it wasn't like they knew him that well and once more he realized that he didn't know them all that well either. Not the way he knew Ray, or so he thought, but he had only been there for little less than a month and already they felt they could just push their way into his life. He wasn't found of the idea, at all, but facing them would be better than sitting in a tense filled silence in the library with Ray.

Making up his mind he put his History book away and wandered towards the back of the school to the cafeteria, without running into the others he grabbed his food from the line and debated on sitting alone but before he could find an empty spot to sit someone had grabbed his arm and he was being pulled outside under the glass canopy with the others.

"Hey, you found him Oliver." Tyson said through a mouthful of food.

It wasn't until Tyson had said that did Kai realize that it was indeed Oliver that had pulled him out there, guiding them to their table. Ray's words of Oliver possibly being brought into their group hitting him, like a bad nightmare, as he realized that the other boy knew his secret. His body tensed under the gentle touch and Oliver gave him a questioning look, not stopping from pulling him towards the table though and took up the spot Ray would be sitting in if it were a different day.

(You didn't tell them, did you?) Kai asked once he sat down beside Oliver, the boy just giving him another puzzled look until it seemed to click.

(Of course not my friend, when I said that I would keep my lips sealed I meant it.)

The others at the table looked between them, not able to stop the feeling of being left out of what was going on again since they couldn't understand the other two. Kenny had a vague idea, but his French was a little rusty.

Kai nodded, feeling slightly guilty for having thought Oliver would have run off and spilled his secret to the others.

(Sorry.)

(No need to apologize, I understand. We barely know each other, and my guess is you've had some people take your trust and throw it out a window before. But believe me when I say this, your friends here and myself would never do that to you.) Oliver reassured, putting his hand on Kai's shoulder in a friendly manner.

Getting tired of not understand the two of them Tyson slapped the top of the table to get their attention, both of them snapping their heads at him and Kai glared at him again as he could already tell what Tyson was wanting to talk about.

"Can we get back to the program here? What the hell is going on with Ray?" He asked, looking between everyone as if they had the answers.

"Why don't you ask him, Tyson?" Kai asked as he pulled his arms around his chest, his glare on point.

"Don't you think I already did that?" Tyson asked in a sarcastic tone, "Max has too and he won't budge an inch."

"I'm sure if he wants us to know he'd tell us, no?" Oliver offered, trying to calm Tyson down.

"You were the last one to see him Saturday, did he say anything to you?" Max asked him and Kai rose a brow at that, turning to look at Oliver beside him.

"He said he was fine." Oliver said with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "You all know him much better than I do though, so it was a bit hard for me to really tell if he was lying or not."

"Well Mariah and Lee don't know anything either, but I agree he's acting strange today." Kenny piped up, looking to be in thought as he put his chin in his hand.

Tyson and Max nodded, "You can see it in his eyes, somethings wrong." Max said in a low worried tone as he looked down at the table.

"We just want to help him, with whatever it is…" Tyson added, "Maybe he'll open up to us at gym?" He said with a bit more hope, putting his hand on Max's shoulder.

The others at the table nodded but in Kai's gut he felt that the only person at the table that Ray would open up to was him, but he had never gotten in his face about his problems but then again Ray had always been open to him. Maybe there was a shot at saving the friendship that he felt was slipping through his fingers, half wondering why it was to begin with, and all he wanted to do was keep what they had.

Having to get through Keyboard with Tyson, thankful that the other boy had dropped his pestering, all Kai could think of was ways to ask Ray what was going. Max was right, you could tell something was wrong by just looking in Ray's eyes. He had that same look over the weekend when Bryan had dropped him at his house, practically in his lap, but that look had soon changed to something else Kai had never seen before and that had caused the rift between them. Kai knew he was going to have to fight this, stitch back what they had and he was willing to do it alone.

When English rolled around and Kai was sat waiting patiently for Ray he half expected the boy not to show up and when he did, Kai's heart flipped turned almost violently with anticipation until it tightened with anger. Ray hadn't even spared him a second look as he took the seat in front of him, though when he had leaned back into his chair Ray shot forward and Kai didn't miss the hiss escape him.

Right then and there Kai had a good idea of what was going on and through out the entire class his eyes had been stuck, almost glued, to Ray's right shoulder blade. The image of that one particular wound flashing in his mind almost as if it were on repeat and each time he could see it, it only made his blood boil.

Through class he had to bite his tongue, knowing that he wouldn't have the chance to talk to him and for once was grateful for having gym class. He had the plan of walking with Ray to it but as soon as the bell rang Ray was up, with Mariah wrapped under his arm and the two disappeared into the crowded halls and out of sight before Kai had even the chance to get out of his chair.

"Kai, can you come here a second?" His teacher called him as he reached the door, sitting at her desk that sat on the opposite side of the room.

Kai nodded, holding the growl in the back of his throat as he stepped towards her.

"Is everything okay dear?" She asked him, her big blue eyes shining with worry.

Why was everyone asking him this? He was perfectly fine, aside from wanting to toss Mariah off a bridge and sweeping Ray off into the nearest broom closet.

"Just didn't sleep good." He answered in a neutral tone.

His teacher nodded, looking to be in thought for a minute. "You seemed kind of spaced out today, that's why I was asking."

"I'm sorry." He apologized, not having realized that she had even been paying that much attention to him to begin with.

"It's okay, as long as you don't fail the pop quiz we'll be having next class." She said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Kai's heart fell into his stomach but he nodded all the same, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"I hope so, you're a very bright young man, don't need to wander off into space too much where you don't get an education you know." She said with a slight giggle. "That's all I wanted though dear, what's your next class? I'll write you a pass since I've held you back." She said as she rummaged in her desk for a hall pass.

"Gym."

She nodded as she scribbled out on the little blue pass, tearing it off and handing it to him but didn't let go when he grabbed onto it.

"It'll be okay."

His blood froze, not liking that look in her eyes or what she had said to him and he forced himself to nod again; a motion he knew he did too often but in times like that he didn't know what else to do.

"I'll see you Wednesday." She let go of the slip with a warm smile.

"Bye…" He waved a little at her, feeling stiff and even more so as he felt her eyes on him and watching him leave.

He couldn't get away fast enough, but he still stormed through the halls to his locker to put away his book and down the hall for the gym when the bell rang overhead. He picked up his pacing, not wanting to deal with an angry coach or risk being locked out of the gym and got there just before it was.

Before the teacher even opened his mouth Kai shoved the note in his face, walking past him a tad breathless and filed after the others into the locker rooms. Already everyone was talking amongst themselves, their voices echoing off the walls and the tiled floor. He pushed past a few of the quicker ones who were rushing past him to get back out, heading to the back of the locker room where the others were already getting undressed.

"There you are." Tyson said, looking slightly relieved at seeing him.

Kai didn't miss Ray's back tense, and like before he avoided looking at him as he fought with his lock as Kai walked around him to his own. Without so much as a fuss he popped his locker open and stood with his change of clothes in his arms, fighting a smirk as he watched Ray still fighting with his lock.

"Move." Was all he said before he stepped up, practically pushing Ray away with his body without even touching him and did the combination until it popped open.

Without a word of thanks Ray pushed himself back in front of his locker, doing what Kai had done to him and moved him away without touching him, pulling his locker open and rummaging in it for his clothes. Kai rolled his eyes, this was going to be a long class, and took his clothes to the bathroom stalls to change in privacy.

Biting back the pain that was coursing through his back, from having to move his arms around, Ray struggled to pull his shirt off, hoping the others were too busy getting themselves dressed that they wouldn't notice him falter. His undershirt had become stuck to his back all day, almost soaked through now. With his hair out of its wrap for once and just hanging around him, he hoped it would cover the stain he knew was there from the other's eyes.

Thankfully Kai had left them to change in the bathroom stalls, knowing he probably should have done the same but didn't want to deal with Tyson's stupid jokes like Kai had suffered his first day of school. He knew he could pull it off through the pain and finally got his shirt over his head, stuffing it inside his locker without looking at it. As he grabbed out his gym shirt Tyson made an audible gasp behind him.

"Dude, what's with your back?"

Ray's entire body tensed, how had he seen it? His skin quickly covered in a cold sweat, his arms through his gym shirt but had to stop half way because the pull and tug of his shoulder blade had gotten too much to bear trying to put it on.

Max skipped over the bench that stood between them, coming up behind Ray's back and he too gasped in surprise.

"Ray, what did you do to yourself?" He asked in a low surprised whisper.

"I-It's nothing guys…" He tried to sound convincing, but now he could feel all their eyes on him, including Lee's.

"Dude, that doesn't look like nothing." Tyson protested just as Kai stepped out of the bathroom stall.

Having heard the commotion his heart had sunk, and as he stepped up to them all again Ray met his eyes and he could see the fear and uncertainty in them. All day they had avoided each other, Kai had started to hate him, but once he saw those golden eyes that was swept away and all he could do was stare back.

Did Ray want his help with this now, or would it be better if he just stood back and let him deal with it? He wasn't sure and it didn't look like Ray knew either.

"You should see the nurse Ray." Max's voice cut through the air like a knife and Ray shook his head quickly.

"Trust me, I'm fine. It's nothing. Just a stain I couldn't get out." Ray said and pulled his gym shirt over his head quickly, tears springing into his eyes at the pain he had just caused himself.

The others looked at one another and to Kai, hoping he'd have said something by now but he had gone mute again like he had been all day.

"A… Alright Ray…" Max said, knowing that his friend was lying to him but decided not to expose his secret to the others. "C'mon Ty." He said as he stepped back over the bench and pulled Tyson out into the gym with him.

Lee watched the other two leave then back to Ray, the question on his tongue but the way Ray looked at him made him swallow it and he shut his locker before following after the others.

Ray stood there, not missing Kai's eyes on him now and he held his breath slightly at what might come out of this. He wanted to run, get away, as quickly as possible but felt that he was frozen to his spot for the time being.

"It's nothing…" Ray said weakly, not looking at him.

"Shut up and let me see it." Kai demanded in a soft voice, stepping towards him.

Ray shook his head at him, stepping to the side as Kai stepped closer. "It's fine, I'll take care of it when I get home." He said in a lower voice than what he had originally planned to use, his heart racing in his chest.

He couldn't let Kai see it, he had only seen pictures of it himself and it made his stomach churn, he didn't need Kai to look at it and cause a scene about it. Not in school of all places. He needed that wall to shoot back up between them, to save them both.

Kai huffed. "Why are you being like this? It can't be 'nothing' if the guys even freaked out about it. Just let me take a look at it."

"They only freaked because of it seeping, you don't need to see it. It won't fix it." He argued back, trying to find his voice as he turned to face him. "Just drop it."

Kai rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Oh okay, 'cause a seeping wound is nothing to worry about..."

Ray exhaled heavily through his nose, "It's not the first time this has happened, I have some old antibiotics at home that I can take. Now drop it Kai." He said a bit more firmly, hoping that he would.

Kai narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "You stupid or something!?"

Ray looked at him, eyes wide. "What kind of question is that? Of course I'm not, I'm handling it the way I want to. Now back off Kai." He said angrily as he stepped up against him, not even sure why he had but he wasn't going to back down against him.

Kai stayed where he was. "Why are you being like this?" He asked in a calmer voice, "I'm your friend, in case you forgot..."

"You are my friend Kai... Just let me handle this on my own... It's bad enough the others saw it, after I've done everything I could to prevent pulling them into my mess… I never should have showed you..." He shook his head, more at himself than at Kai.

The fight in him already dying away, it didn't help that Kai had given him that look but he had to keep building that wall. This had to stop, he knew that, as much as he would have liked his help he knew it was for the better. Keep him at a good distance from now on, despite what he thought they could have if things were different.

"But why? I don't get it... What's with the sudden secrecy?" Kai asked in confusion.

"Because enough is enough, I don't need you to come rescuing me every time something like this happens to me. I'm not some damsel in distress, I can handle this on my own. Have been half of my life, so for once back off Kai. I don't want the help, I don't need it." Ray bit at him, the anger coming back to him without warning.

He didn't want to be angry with him, but the pushing was getting on his nerves. Kai had never been in his face about it before, but then again Ray had never stopped him before. If he didn't love him he would have shown him without a second thought, but because he did he had to protect him. The beatings would only get worse if Stan knew, and that would pull Kai into the snake pit with him.

Kai held in a small growl, this dance grating on his own nerves too. "You really wanna make me pull out the big guns and go to Natasha?" He said with a soft voice, but by no means was it an empty threat.

"Don't even joke about that." Ray said in a low voice, one that he had never used on someone he considered a friend and stepped back up to him. "If you want to keep my trust then you'll keep your mouth shut about this, don't _ever_ threaten me like that again. Even if you went to her I can deny it, so it would do you no good. How dare you try and hold that over my head, it's none of your fucking business so drop it."

Kai raised a defiant brow. "If it stops you going all septic and gross, I can live with you being mad at me, Ray. I'll keep my mouth shut if you stop this crap and get to the nurse..."

"This isn't funny Kai and I'm done with this, go to her for all I fucking care." Ray said angrily, his heart hammering in his chest at the idea alone.

He knew Kai would, but like he had said he could deny it. He didn't have to come clean about anything to anyone, much less show anyone his back.

He turned away from him, going to make his point by walking off on him but had stopped short. "Just know that if you do, I won't _ever_ speak to you again."

Kai folded his arms. Yeah, Ray's threat scared him. He didn't want that.. But he had to believe he was bluffing.

"Fine. I will. And don't think she's a pushover..." He said in as strong a voice as he could as he turned from him.

Ray let Kai's threat seep in a little, his back becoming tense again but he was done with this. Kai could go ahead and tell the whole world, he'd still deny it till his face turned blue. He wouldn't let his hard work go to waste, be pulled away from everything he knew and loved; including him.

Without much thought about the volume of his voice or how angry he looked, he had to make Kai understand where he stood on the issue now.

Spinning back around to face him, staying at the front of his locker with his hands balled into fists at his sides and his body shaking, he stared at him heatedly. Going over his words carefully in his head before he let out something he didn't mean, even if he wanted a wall between them he didn't want to lose their friendship.

"Go ahead Kai, knock yourself out. Tell the whole goddamn school if it'll make you feel better! I'm not going to keep standing here though and listen to this anymore, discussion over. Get off my back, I have enough problems with it already, and mind your own fucking business for once! I'll take care of it like I always do, it'll heal just like all the rest of them and that'll be the end of it. We can keep doing this dance if you want, you can throw away our friendship if that makes you feel more like a man, I don't give a shit! But you _will_ let me handle this the way _I_ want to!"

Kai turned back. Who the hell was this guy? Glaring, his own back tensed. "You think I wanna do this? In what way would telling the whole school make me feel better? In what way would going to Natasha, because you're too stubborn, make me feel more like a man? What the hell do you take me for!? We're only 'doing this dance' because you're being stubborn and stupid!" Kai decided to throw Ray's own tactic at him and step up to him. He'd been calm long enough.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you'd just 'mind your business' if it were the other way around..." He growled at him.

Ray froze up for a second, that look in Kai's eyes he hated more than he cared to admit causing him to go silent for a second before he shook it off. Kai wouldn't hurt him, he knew that, but his flight or fight switch had been turned on and he bucked up against him like he had done before and stood his ground.

"You're the one that threatened me here, not me. I wouldn't dare hold that over your head like you just did to me, and if it were reversed I'd actually respect your wishes and not keep trying to push you about it. Do you really want to see it _that_ badly that you resort to this? It won't do you any good seeing it, so drop it and for the hundredth time I'll take care of it."

"I'm not trying to threaten you, Ray!" He yelled back before reeling his volume in. "But what choice are you giving me!? This isn't a little cut or a bruise we're talking about here!"

"That's _exactly_ what you just did to me! I know what it is, I've seen what it looks like right now and trust me you don't want to look at it. I appreciate the concern but it's wearing out its welcome here Kai. Now back off! I'm done with this!" Ray yelled out, not caring if the coach or whoever was still in the locker rooms could hear him.

"I'm just trying to help." Kai said as calmly as he could, despite wanting to lash out at him again.

Ray backed away from him slightly, glaring at him hard as his body shook with the pent up anger. "What, you think that you can put two broken people together and everything will be fine? I have my shit, you have yours. I don't need or _want_ your goddamn help Kai! Just worry about yourself!" He yelled out at him again and slammed his locker shut beside him, the noise echoing through the locker room loudly.

Ray gave him one more hardened look before he turned on his heel and stormed away from him, his hair washing around his shoulders as he went without a second look back. He didn't want Kai to see the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes, even if they were nothing but angry tears at this point, he didn't want to show him that weakness. The wall he had built up between them now stood taller than before, it would take more than a bulldozer to knock it down now but he didn't care. This was what he wanted, even if it hurt.

Kai had become almost as still as a statue, what the hell was that and why had it turned into such a shit storm? He could feel the hold on his clothes that were tucked under his arm starting to loosen and he shook himself back, shoving his clothes into the locker before slamming it shut just as hard, if not harder, than Ray had done to his. Half surprised he hadn't broken the damn latch and stormed after him, this wasn't done but once he got out into the gym he didn't see him in the crowd of people.

The loud shrill scream of a whistle pulled him out of his searching, snapping his head to glare at the coach who had done it right by his head but went unnoticed.

"Alright boys and girls, outside to the track!"

"But it's cold out!" Came someone's voice through the sea of students.

"Better put those legs to good use then!" The coach called back as he started towards the back door of the gym.

There were audible grumbles and whispering as the students filed away from their groups, wondering why they were the only class to have to brave the cold October air. Kai followed after his classmates, finally spotting Ray at the front with Mariah. He pushed through the others to get to him, eyes locked on the back of his head but kept his distance as he followed after him and was suddenly jerked back to step with Max.

"Just leave it." The blonde warned quietly.

"Leave it?" Kai asked in a growl, "Weren't you the ones wanting to know what the hell was wrong with him?"

Max nodded, letting Kai's shoulder go as they stepped outside. The cold air hitting them instantly and Max wrapped his arms around himself, Kai barely flinching from it.

"Not at the expense of losing him, he'll tell us when he's ready." Max finally said, the line having reached the side of the school building.

Kai studied him for a minute, something clicking as he stared into Max's blue eyes. "You know…"

Max nodded again, "Have known for a while, not enough to really pinpoint the cause but I can take a few guesses."

Kai swallowed around the lump in his throat as he became at a loss for words. Did he tell Max the whole situation and if he did, what would they do about it? What would Ray do about it if he told him?

"We've practically grown up together, I may not look it but I'm pretty observant and more so than Tyson and Kenny. When we started middle school together I noticed the marks on his wrists, he used to wear arm bands to cover them but one day it came off when we were rough housing. They were faded, probably a few years old and you can't see them now unless you look hard enough.

"Then, in seventh grade he was staying over one night and I guess he forgot or something, maybe he had depended on his hair covering it, but when he took off his shirt I saw the marks on his back…" Max explained quietly as the reached the gates to the football field.

"I didn't ask because our friendship was still pretty new, that if he wanted me to know he'd tell me… He never did and I don't hold that against him any, but I do worry about him." Max said and finally looked up at Kai, as if he was expecting him to spill it all out.

"He'll tell you when he's ready."

Max frowned a little but nodded all the same, "I know… Just wish it was sooner than later you know? Before something really bad happens…"

"I won't let it." Kai said in a dark tone, Max giving him a questioning look but Kai had ignored it and had started marching towards Ray who had already been at the front and around the first turn of the track.

Ray saw him out the corner of his eye as Kai came to walk beside him, not missing that he started walking faster. Their eyes trained in front of them and Ray felt his feet picking up their pace to match Kai's, they were at the front of everyone already, nothing but clear open track laid out before them.

Kai picked his pace up more, not quite in jog yet but faster than normal walking speed and slightly smirked as he caught Ray matching his pace again. There between them, in the tense uncomfortable silence and the wall that had shot up was the challenge. They both could feel it and that fueled them to walk faster, Ray's shoulder blade stung with the quickened pace and he ignored it best he could.

The hand that had been clamped around Mariah's slipped out of her hold and she opened her mouth to protest but Ray was already halfway down the track, running at top speed with Kai right beside him as they made it around the second turn.

With every movement Ray could feel the ooze trickle down his back, his gym shirt getting stuck to his undershirt and the rub of the fabric only flared the pain ten-fold. Falling back slightly because of it he let out a gasp as Kai shot past him, Ray didn't want him to care so he pretended not to as he took off ahead of him.

Ray cursed under his breath as he pushed himself to keep going, tears sprung in his eyes as his lungs burned with the cold air but he kept going. Catching back up to Kai's side on the stretch before the final turn, the others watching and out of the way just like their first little race with the coach watching and timing them.

Ignoring everything around them; the burning in their lungs, the strain in their legs, the pain in Ray's back, to the cheers and hollering of their fellow classmates, there was nothing but the two of them and their silent and stupid challenge. What the winner got they weren't sure, Ray wasn't going to budge but he knew that after this he would need medical attention. The antibiotics weren't going to be enough if he split the wound open, he could feel it pulling and like everything else he ignored it as they made it around the first turn again.

He couldn't hold it in much longer and started to fall back, the tears running down his cheeks as the wound felt on fire. The sweat that had started to form on his back and roll into the wound wasn't helping, Kai didn't stop though and he made it to the second turn without him by his side. If Ray wanted to play stupid and be stubborn then Kai was going to let him, and he wasn't going to let him win.

"C'mon Ray!" Came Mariah's encouragement from the front of the track, the others joining in with her as he had gone to a slower pace.

Ray shook his head, cursing them all but picked his feet back up and shot off back down the track. Kai was already nearing the final turn when he finally caught up to him, leaving the older boy in the lead through the rest of the third lap.

There was no way Ray could catch up to him, conceding defeat he kept up just a few feet behind him while trying to put on the show of actually trying to win. At the finish line Kai simply ignored everyone's shocked faces and the coaches beaming smile, taking himself back to the gym quietly with a hardened frown on his face.

Ray came up panting, covered in sweat and his back feeling like it was on fire and knew without a doubt the wound had split open like he hadn't wanted it to. Mariah and the others crowded around him, all whispering and concerned and even more so when Oliver noticed the blood soaking through the back of his shirt.

"You need to go to the nurse, now." He said in a quick whisper and put a hand on Ray's lower back.

Ray bit down on his lip, stopping the yell from escaping but everyone saw the pain on his face and in his eyes.

"Ray, what's wrong?" Mariah asked quickly and stepped up in front of him.

Ray shook his head, he didn't want this. "I'm fine!" He bit at her and the crowd gasped, whispering picking up around them.

"Now, Ray." Oliver pushed on his back, getting him through the crowd and made sure to cover his back with his hair. "I'm just taking him to get some water." He quickly said to the coach who simply nodded, a bit shocked that his star runner had lost.

Ray couldn't protest and let Oliver guide him back towards the gym, when they entered he quickly looked around to find Kai. The feeling of needing him overwhelming, he didn't want to go alone with Oliver but after everything he had said he didn't know if Kai would even care enough about him.

"Kai!" Oliver called out, gaining not only his intended targets attention but the others as well.

"No…" Ray breathed, even if he knew he needed him he didn't want to admit it. How could he look Kai in the eyes again after what he said?

"Nurse, now." Oliver said but it wasn't to him and his weight was shifted into someone taller.

Kai simply nodded, taking Ray's weight into his side without a second thought and took over leading him out of the gym and away from prying eyes. Out in the hall Ray tried to pull away from him but every movement, every step, hurt more than when he had gotten the damn thing to begin with. Tears were in his eyes again and he was leaving teeth marks in his lower lip from having bit into it.

"Just stop." Kai commanded, his hand around Ray's lower back where Oliver's hand had been before and not stopping once.

"I'm sorry…" Ray said shakily, trying to keep up with Kai's quick pace.

"Don't worry about it." Kai said with a neutral tone, keeping his eyes forward as he led them down the hall.

Ray kept walking beside him, his heart sinking lower and lower into the pit of his stomach with every step closer to the nurses office. They would call Stan, he'd have to come pick him up and take him to the hospital, then Stan would take him home and he'd get a repeat of everything from the other night.

Unconsciously his fingers curled into the back of Kai's shirt as every little thought passed his mind, his legs stopped moving and Kai about pulled them both down to the ground with the sudden stop. Ray could taste the bile in his throat, golden eyes wide with fear as his body started to tremble.

"Hey… Hey, it's alright." Kai said quickly, pulling himself away and standing in front of him as he held Ray's arms gently.

Ray shook his head almost violently, "I can't… I can't go… Don't make me go…"

"You have to get looked at." Kai tried, his own concern overpowering the anger and hurt he had felt earlier.

Ray kept shaking his head, his hands reaching out where they grabbed the front of Kai's shirt as he shook harder. "It won't fix it, it'll just make it worse. Please don't make me go, please Kai."

"Then tell someone, someone who can actually help you Ray." Kai said firmly, despite the feeling of his own heart breaking at the sight before him and the boy clinging to him like his life depended on it.

"I can take care of it, please." Ray asked as he met Kai's eyes, the tears freshly running down his face.

Kai let out an irritated growl, whether it was at Ray or at himself or for the both of them he wasn't sure. "Fine, but you're coming home with me." He ordered sternly and pulled Ray back beside him, putting his arm around his back again where he had it and guided him down the hall.

Ray tried to calm himself down the best he could, wiping the tears from his cheeks as Kai stopped at his locker and pulled out his backpack where he snatched out his cellphone. Ray watched him quietly, not missing the blood running down his back, but was thankful that he had finally pulled himself together enough to stop crying and making a fool of himself.

(Need you here, now.) Kai said into his phone, grabbing Ray's hand and pulling him along towards the front doors of the school after shutting his locker and throwing his backpack over his shoulder.

(What's going on?) Tala asked, thousands of questions running through his head.

(Ray's bleeding, I can't convince him to go to the hospital and I need your help.)

(Fuck, alright I'll be there.) Tala said and hung up quickly.

Kai stuffed his phone in his pocket, Ray not saying a word to him as they stepped outside. Kai pulled him towards the parking lot, not caring that they were technically cutting class but right now all he gave a damn about was the injured boy. His hand tightened around Rays, not to the point it would hurt him, but more of a show that he was there for him; would always be there for him.

Kai stopped them at the sidewalk near the main road, the same one Ray had walked on when Brooklyn had confronted him two nights ago. Shivering from the cold and the memory Ray pulled his arms around himself, head low as if he finally came back to his senses and realized what was going on. Suddenly there was a blanket of warmth covering his back and his head shot up, his fingers curling around the jacket Kai had thrown over him.

"You're going to get it bloody…" He said in a weak voice, Kai's scent invading his senses but he didn't move to pull it off.

"And you're still being stubborn." Kai said with a huff, running a hand through his bangs where he pulled them back from his face. "You don't need to freeze on top of everything else, Tala will be here soon."

"He knows?" Ray asked in a low whisper as he hung his head again.

"Yes."

Ray could only nod as he felt his heart clench, weirdly enough he wasn't angry. How could he be?

There went the wall, crumbling down and turning into nothing but dust. Along with it went just about everything else he had tried to do to keep this from happening. He couldn't find it in himself to be angry or mad, not even a sliver of regret. There had been a reason he had fallen in love with Kai so quickly, maybe it was inevitable all along and fighting it was just prolonging the end. Now wasn't the time, he knew that, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it bottled up for much longer.

Pulling the jacket around him tighter he looked up at Kai, the other boy had been staring down the road waiting for his brother with a hardened look on his face.

"Thank you…" Ray said to him, stepping closer against his better judgement.

Kai's head snapped towards him and he gave him a soft smile, fighting with himself from reaching out and pulling him closer to him. Instead he pushed a strand of stray hair that had fallen out of the hair tie behind Ray's ear, the two of them feeling a shock run through them but neither said a thing about it.

"It'll be alright."

There was something in his words that Ray wanted to cling onto with dear life, he needed to hear it even if he knew the truth. For now he'd hold onto it, the promise that Kai had given him with all he could.

All at once this was where it could either end or start into something he knew they both wanted, Tala had perfecting timing though and Ray stepped back from Kai when he had been inching closer.


	18. Darker Side of Me

**Hey guys, fancy meeting you here in the middle of the week. This chapter was originally very long, so long that I felt that it would be too much going on in one chapter and so split it up but didn't want you all to feel like I was robbing you of the story in any way. So, I'm updating today just to keep the ball rolling, there might be other instances where I do this if I end up getting carried away with a chapter that goes past a certain page count. In the end this chapter came up to about 12 or so pages from the original thirty, a lil shorter than the others but quality over quantity.**

 **WARNING: Same as the last chapter regarding the wound on Ray's back, just don't eat anything while you're reading.**

 **Like a few other chapters, not all as it's not my intention to rely on it too heavily, this chapter is loosely based around a song. Darker Side of Me belongs to The Veer Union, it's a good telling of really the both of them if you decide to look it up.**

 **I absolutely adored everyone's reviews from last chapter, I promise we are close to the end goal but love is never easy. Especially when there is so much to unpack with these two, and speaking from experience it makes it that much harder half the time.  
**

 **I'll see you all again on Friday, take care everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful week.**

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Ch 18- Darker Side of Me. Monday, October 15th.

Tala's blue eyes took everything in, his breath hitching in his throat as he examined everything on the younger boy's back. Every emotion he could think of wasn't enough to fully describe how he felt, anger and rage weren't enough to describe how he felt. Worry and concern was something he already held for him but now, that he had seen it himself, it still wasn't enough to describe how he felt.

"Ray, I want you to be honest with me." Tala said, kneeling in front of him and staring intently into his still wet golden eyes.

Ray sat there on the dining chair in Kai's kitchen his back to the doorway, his bloodied shirt at his feet and his hair pulled over his shoulder. Since he had arrived Tala promptly forced him into the kitchen, stripped him of his shirt, and was told not to move. He felt small, smaller than he had ever felt before with both Kai and Tala looking him over at the things he didn't want either of them to see. For the first part of their inspection over his back the two brothers had spoken in quiet Russian to each other, now Kai stood against the counter facing him and Ray had avoided looking at him since he took up the spot.

"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" Tala asked in a calm caring voice.

Ray heaved in heavily, fighting back the tears as he kept his eyes on Tala's. Feeling his heart stop for a second before it started to pound within his chest. Kai's back tensed, pulling his arms in tighter around him.

"I… I have… Once…" Ray got out through a shaky breath, fresh new tears threatening to spill.

"What happened?" Tala asked, his breath hitching in his throat again.

Ray shook his head slowly, "They didn't believe me…"

"How could they not believe you?!" Tala shouted, eyes wide.

Ray flinched back a little at that, quickly shaking his head harder. "It wasn't always like this." He started, trying to find his voice.

"It was always verbal, nothing ever physical before… The… The first time it was he held m-me up by my hair…" He choked out, taking in another shaky breath to calm himself.

Tala shifted more onto his knees in order to get comfortable on the floor, putting a hand up on Ray's knees to show him he was there and willing to listen. Kai couldn't look away even if he wanted to, having heard that story before a week ago in the park. Hearing it a second time felt like the first, his heart hurt for him and the anger he felt for Stan was the same if not more powerful than before.

"The second time… He t-took a match… Put it against my arm, leave-leaving a burn on it… It's faded now, you can't see it… He lied, said I did it to myself playing with the matches. The verbal didn't stop but he hadn't touched me again, until I started cut-cutting my… Myself…" He forced out, wiping the tears running down his cheeks.

"Then it was the belts, every time he was drunk or either bored… I don't know…" He said, shaking his head again. "When I went for help he lied again, used the cuts on my arms as evidence that I was doing it to myself… So I stopped after I met the others, and I haven't wanted to try again. I don't want to lose them, or anyone."

Tala wiped at the tears in his own eyes, worrying his bottom lip as he was rendered speechless. All he could think to do, want to do, was hug him but didn't want to hurt his back. One little call to his boyfriend and it would be over, Ray would be safe, but he wasn't going to without his permission.

"Bryan can help you."

Ray shook his head again, "I'll take care of it, I only have a year left."

"You might not." Tala said in a firm tone, making the implication known. "You don't know what's going in that head of his Ray, one night he could just come in and…" Tala paused, not wanting to say it out loud.

"He won't, I promise you he won't." Ray said in his own firm but broken voice. "He's an asshole, not stupid."

Kai released a low growl from his throat, he had heard that line before and he hated it just as much as the first time he heard it. Tala saw the issue clear as day but was once again rendered speechless, he couldn't force him and if he pressed then that risked Ray never coming back and trusting them again. Kai had told him what had happened back at school in the locker rooms, Ray had made it clear where he wanted them to stand on the issue and he wasn't going to risk the two's friendship anymore.

Nodding that he understood Tala patted Ray's knee as he stood up, going to the sink and rummaged in a drawer for a cloth before wetting it under the sink with warm water. Coming back behind Ray and took it all in again, the anger coming back ten-fold.

"This is going to sting." Tala said gently and before Ray could react there was a wet warm cloth put to his shoulder blade.

Ray did everything he could not to jump off that chair and run, taking it like a man as he bit into his lower lip to stop from crying out and held back the tears that sprung into his eyes again. His body started to shake again, uncontrollably, as he gripped his gym shorts in his hands. Every colorful name in the book ran through his head, but he wasn't about to call Tala any of those things just because he was helping him.

Kai shifted uncomfortably against the counter, watching Ray's pained reaction. Despite their argument he wanted to help him somehow and against his better judgement he stepped up in front of him, kneeling where Tala had been and held his hands out for him over Ray's lap. Instantly Ray put his hands in his, gripping onto them tightly as Tala put the cloth against the wound again.

"From what I can tell is that it's infected, not badly, looks like it's the start. You splitting it open isn't good though." Tala said as he wiped down the dried blood on Ray's back with the cloth, dabbing at the wound to get the puss and blood away so he could look at it better.

"It's not deep enough to need stitches, I don't think…" He added as an afterthought, "We'll see what Spencer says though."

"Who?" Ray asked, trying to stop his body from shaking as it was starting to make Kai's arms shake.

Ray tried to turn and look back at him and Tala forced his head back around, not needing him to strain his back with any movement, no matter how small, and went back to inspecting the wound for a second again.

"He's a friend of mine, graduated top of the class and is in his second year of medical school. He'll be here in a minute." Tala explained to him calmly, not missing Ray's body tensing in front of him.

"It'll be alright, Skittles already informed him of the situation. You can trust him." Tala said as he put a hand on Ray's uninjured shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "He'll have what we need for you anyways, because I could be wrong about you needing stitches and I don't have any medical supplies here."

"You're in college… To become a doctor?" Ray asked, not really sure what else he could say to him.

Kai let out a small breath of relief, he had half expected Ray would turn on him for telling someone else.

"Close. I'm in college to be a nurse." Tala said proudly, "It's my first year."

Ray nodded a little, liking the change in conversation and jerked forward as Tala touched his wound with the cloth again. His hands holding Kai's in more of a death grip, Kai barely flinching from the pressure.

"Sorry Twizz, but this keeps seeping…" Tala said in a small voice, his blue eyes filled with nothing but his jumbled emotions on how he felt about all of this.

"Twizz?" Ray hissed, gripping Kai's hands tighter as Tala touched the damn thing again.

Kai rolled his eyes quietly.

"Twizzlers, your nickname." Tala explained in a humored tone.

"Oh… Why?" Ray decided to ask, loosening his hold on Kai's hands and gave him an apologetic smile.

Tala shrugged, even though Ray couldn't see him, "Don't like it?"

"No… It's fine… I actually like the candy, so…"

Tala seemed to brighten up at that, "Skittles hates his nickname." Tala laughed, "And the candy."

Ray chuckled a little back, the air around them lifting from what it had been. Meeting Kai's eyes for the first time since they had arrived at his home.

"Why? They're so good." Ray asked, his mood shifting slightly now that he didn't have to focus on his back and what was about to happen.

"They get stuck in your teeth." Kai said in a bored tone, having to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat for some time.

Part of him understood now why Ray had told him he didn't want to see his back because now, every time he closed his eyes, that's all he saw. He felt guilty, hating himself, for having that stupid race that ended up making Ray's wound worse. If he hadn't challenged him then it wouldn't have split open, Ray wouldn't be sitting there shaking like a leaf in his kitchen and his foster brother cleaning him up and waiting for Spencer to show up and his hands getting the life squeezed out of them.

"Most candy does." Tala interjected, "You're too picky." He told Kai, tossing the blood soaked cloth in the trash.

"I like candy, just not skittles…" Kai said as he rolled his eyes unmoving from his spot on the floor, Ray's hands still in his in a gentle hold and his thumbs caressing the top of them.

"Do you like any kind of candy?" Ray asked, with a quirked brow as he fought a blush from spreading across his cheeks. Very aware of his hands and Kai's thumbs gently ghosting over them.

Kai nodded, avoiding looking over at him best he could. "Don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when it shows up I like chocolates."

Ray made a face, "I only like a few types, otherwise chocolate is gross to me."

Tala and Kai looked offended at that, both went to speak when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Tala declared and took himself out to the living room to the front door, holding back the smile that was wanting to creep up on him at the two of them.

Ray took in a large breath of air, trying to still his nerves. Kai had glanced up at him, his thumbs rubbing a bit harder against the top of his hands, seeing him tense up like that and his heart clenched.

Regardless of the fact that he felt guilty, he was also happy that he had gotten Ray the help he needed. What this meant for the two of them later down the road he wasn't sure, Ray had threatened not to speak to him again if he told his secret and Kai had already told Tala. Ray knew this now but with everything else going on they hadn't properly talked about it, Kai wasn't even sure if Ray was going to talk about it at all at this point.

"Ray, this is Spencer." Tala introduced as the two came into the kitchen, stepping around Ray so he could see the new comer.

A tall, much taller than what Ray had originally thought, man towered over him and Tala. Deep green eyes, that were nothing but kind, met his and the tension he felt seemed to wash away. Spencer had short dirty-blonde hair, and he was stocky as he was tall.

"It's nice to meet you Ray." Spencer held out his empty hand, a bag in the other at his side.

Ray returned the favor letting go of Kai's right hand in order to shake hands with him quickly and quietly, immediately putting it back where it was before. Kai's thumb going back to doing what it was against the top of it, giving Spencer and curt nod.

"I've been informed of your situation, and although I'm not excited about it you're secret is safe with me." Spencer told him gently.

Ray nodded, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of himself. "Thank you…" As he said that he squeezed Kai's hands again quietly.

Spencer nodded to him as he moved back around him, standing behind him and quickly looked over his back. His green eyes locking onto the wound that was the cause of him being there in the first place, his face hardened as he looked at it and sat his bag down on the table beside them.

"Doesn't look like there's much I can do for it, in terms of closing it. It didn't tear that badly, but the scabbing has been broken and it may take longer to heal now. Do you happen to have any antibiotics at home?"

"I do, I took one this morning."

Spencer nodded, looking over his back again. "I have some ointment, that we can put around it to help speed it up and then I'll wrap it. Need to keep it dry though, so when you take a shower avoid getting your back wet as much as possible." Spencer instructed as he opened his bag and rummaged around in it.

"Okay…" Ray nodded, as he tried to focus on Kai's thumbs rubbing against his hands hoping they'd calm his nerves.

"Can take the wrapping off on Friday, have Tala or Kai do it and if it hasn't improved by then I do recommend getting seen by an actual medical professional." Spencer said in a harder tone, making sure that Ray understood what he was saying and giving no room to protest.

"Okay…" Ray repeated, his voice smaller than what it had originally been as his heart rate sped up. Kai returned the gentle squeeze Ray had done to him, with the same hopes Ray had held onto.

"Just follow the instructions on the bottle, for the antibiotics you have, don't want it to get worse." Spencer said as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves, "As long as they are prescribed to you?"

"They are, got them last year."

"What are they?" Spencer asked as he dug in his bag for the ointment he had spoken of.

"Amoxicillin, had this happen to me before." Ray told him almost shyly.

"How did you get them?" Spencer asked, keeping up the conversation as he started to dab the ointment around the wound.

"Stan took me in." Ray bit out, hissing as he jerked forward, "Didn't end well once it was healed though…" Ray explained best he could, trying to stay still as his arms started to shake again and his hands gripped at Kai's in that death like grip.

"What did the doctor say, once he saw the others?" Spencer asked what the other two had been thinking all along, quickly glancing between Kai and Tala.

"Nothing… Stan took me to someone he could trust.- Fuck that hurts!" Ray jerked again as Spencer poked at the red flesh around the wound, getting some of the extra puss to seep out.

Spencer nodded, holding his free hand out for Tala and motioning with his fingers for a towel. Without needing to be told what he was wanting, Tala moved away and got a paper towel instead of wasting another one of his mother's actual towels.

Once Spencer had it in his hand he cleaned up the puss that was running down Ray's back again, going quiet as he balled the paper towel in his hand. Quietly he rummaged in his bag again for the dressing he needed, Tala took the paper towel from him and threw it in the trash before he took his spot back at the counter. The two watched as Spencer started to dress up the wound, wrapping the bindings under Ray's arm and across his chest.

"This is all I have at the moment, it's not standard but it's better than nothing." Spencer informed.

"That's alright." Ray told him, trying not to move as he held his arm up a little, not letting Kai's hands go, so Spencer could wind the wrapping around him one more time before he cut it off and pressed it to the other piece so it would stick to itself.

"Alright, so as I said before. Keep it as dry as possible, don't remove it until Friday and if it hasn't cleared up by then you need to see an actual doctor." Spencer said as he put his things away, pulling off his gloves and balling them up together.

Ray nodded again, not liking the last idea but Spencer was right. The last thing he needed was for this thing to cause more problems for him, especially now that the others had seen the damage it was causing.

"Thank you." He made sure to say, knowing that Spencer didn't have to do what he had for him, or the others for that matter.

"Not a problem." Spencer said, closing his bag and then meeting Tala's eyes.

Tala got the silent hint and pulled himself away from the counter to follow after him, the older two stepping out in silence and as the front door shut behind them it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room with them.

The minutes seemed to tick by, both wishing that the other would say something to break the tension that had built up around them. Regardless of wanting that wall there Ray truly didn't want it, after what Kai had done for him. What he had said to him back in the locker room hit him hard. The thought alone scared him, that maybe he did finally push him away like he wanted to. He didn't want to be without him, all he had to do was not step across that line in the sand and he'd be fine.

He just wanted him there, beside him like he had been. They needed each other, more than either cared to admit, but it wasn't something Ray wanted to fight anymore.

"I'm sorry." Ray broke the silence, unable to handle it anymore and looked to meet Kai's eyes finally. Their hands still held together tightly over his lap.

"Don't worry about it." Kai told him a bit too quickly, and Ray felt as though he had been stabbed with the uncaring tone in his voice.

"I shouldn't have said what I did to you though, you were only trying to help and I was being an asshole." Ray pressed, trying to hide the hurt in his voice as his hands squeezed Kai's again.

Kai shrugged his shoulders, "It's alright, I understand."

"I know… Doesn't make it right though." Ray told him, feeling the weight of the guilt settle on his shoulders.

"It's really alright Ray." Kai sighed, "I'm not mad about it anymore, not after…" He stopped, nodding towards him.

Ray nodded sheepishly at him, squeezing his hands again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kai said as he met and held Ray's gaze, feeling his heart rate pick up again and more so the longer they stared at one another and being so close.

He wouldn't be the first to move, he couldn't, Ray was with Mariah and even though he had hoped with everything that Ray had the same feelings for him there was still that voice in the back of his head that told him otherwise. Ray's words back in the locker room hitting him just as hard as when he had said them. Ray was right, you couldn't put two broken people together and hope it would work out.

Another silence fell between them, so much to say that neither felt was the right time to talk about. At least the silence now wasn't uncomfortable, their little argument now pushed to the back of everything else and with it the weight of their guilt.

"I should probably head home…" Ray broke the silence again but stayed in the chair.

Kai nodded, biting his tongue so he didn't ask him to stay. Tell him that it was alright that he did, tell him how he felt and everything else that had been plaguing him since the day they had met. He wasn't ever one to have believed in true love, or true love at first sight, but there had always been something that drew him to Ray that he couldn't shake. The crush he had only intensified every day, every night, and he would only be lying to himself if he said he didn't love him now.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Ray said and finally broke the connection of their hands, though the touch still lingered on his skin.

"Okay." Kai pulled himself away, stepping back so Ray could stand.

Ray gave him a small smile as he pulled his shirt over his head and his hair out from under it, feeling frozen to the floor for a minute longer before he got the courage to turn away and leave.

Kai didn't move, afraid that if he did it would ruin the calm and peace they had between them again.

"Ray." He called after him as Ray reached the doorway, turning around to face him again.

"I'm sorry."

Ray arched a brow, "What for?"

Kai swallowed hard, pulling his arms over his chest. "For hurting you…"

"You didn't hurt me Kai, it was my fault." Ray said after a short silence passed between them, "I'm sorry I said all those things to you. I didn't mean them."

Kai nodded, he had already apologized for it and he wasn't going to hold that over his head anymore. Ray had only been speaking out of fear and hurt, he understood, a lot better now, why he had.

"I shouldn't have pushed you, if I hadn't you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Kai finally said, choking down his bunched up emotions.

He didn't want to lose him, he had to make sure that things would get better between them.

"It's alright Kai." Ray said, stepping back into the kitchen and stood only a few inches away from him.

"Because you were right, if it was reversed I would have done the same." He told him in a quiet and calm tone, "I don't blame you for any of this, if anything I'm grateful for the help and the concern you have for me."

"You're my friend." Kai tried to justify it, not what he wanted to tell him at first but knew now wasn't the time.

Ray bit the inside of his cheek, feeling like he had given him a window to say what he wanted but since he hadn't he let it blow out.

"And you're mine too Kai…" He shifted where he stood, arms itching to reach out and hug him.

Kai saw the shift, the way his hands had lifted a little, and throwing caution to the wind he stepped up to him and put his arms carefully around Ray's neck and pulled him into him. Ray didn't hesitate to put his arms around him, burying his face in Kai's shoulder where he could reach.

It felt like time had frozen, like they were the only two in the world at that moment. Feeling each other's heart beats against their chests, slowly increasing in speed. Ray pulled him closer, his fingers curling into Kai's shirt not wanting to let go. Kai's face was buried in Ray's hair, trying hard not to inhale too deeply but was very aware of his scent invading his senses. Before he could stop himself he placed a very gentle, barely noticeable, kiss on the top of his head before he let him go.

Both of their faces were red, Ray had felt that kiss no matter how light and tender it was but was too exhausted to want to try and build up that wall again. He didn't want it anymore, he wanted real but now wasn't the time, yet that didn't stop him from stepping closer into Kai's space again.

Unconsciously Kai held his breath, not sure what it was he was waiting for to happen but like his luck nothing did as the front door opened. Tala and Spencer's voices coming in briefly as they spoke to Natasha as she stepped into her home, Ray jumped back from Kai and in turn Kai stepped back from him.

"Ray? What're you doing here?" Natasha asked as she came into the kitchen, setting down her purse on the counter closest to the doorway.

"School project." Ray squeaked out, "Was just finishing up talking about what it'll be about, I was leaving." He quickly pulled something out of his ass to tell her, hoping to God she'd buy it.

"Oh, you're more than welcome to stay for dinner dear." Natasha said, none the wiser about what was going on.

"I appreciate it but I have chores and school work to do." Ray told her as he started towards the doorway again, stopping short and turning back to Kai. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kai nodded, trying to still his rapidly beating heart before it burst through his chest. Ray gave them both a quick and final goodbye before he swept out of the kitchen, practically running out the front door.

"Leaving already Twizz?" Tala asked as he turned away from Spencer.

"Yeah, thank you again. For what you both have done for me."

Tala nodded, before worrying his bottom lip and stepped up to him away from the railing. Putting a hand on Ray's arm in a gentle hold, meeting his eyes.

"I don't know all the details here Ray, and I can't even imagine what it's like to go through what you are but you will always have us at your side. We don't want to see you hurt… Or worse… So please, really reconsider telling someone who can help." Tala said, giving Ray's arm a gentle squeeze before he pulled it away.

"You have a lot more people on your side than you think you do, it's never your fault for the things that he does to you. If you did speak up about it then know that we'll all be here, right beside you."

Ray felt tears in his eyes, nodding again as he couldn't think of anything to say to him. Tala gave him a small smile, hoping that would help a little. Still with nothing to say Ray stepped up closer to him, putting his arms around the taller boys neck and pulled him into a hug that Tala reciprocated quickly.

"Just… Just give me some time." Ray choked out.

Tala nodded, rubbing his lower back carefully to avoid angering the wound. "Promise me?" He asked, pulling him away and holding both of Ray's arms as he held him out.

Ray wiped at the falling tears, "I promise."

Tala felt his own tears in his eyes, smiling at him best he could before he broke down with him. "We're all here for you, don't forget that."

"Thanks." Ray said and stepped back once Tala let him go, "I'll see you tomorrow." He said and moved around the older two boys, stepping down the stairs of the front porch and waved to them before he started down the sidewalk to his home.

"You really like that kid, don't you?" Spencer asked him once Ray was inside his own home, having watched him the entire way.

"He's my future brother-in-law, of course I like him." Tala said in a more upbeat tone.

Spencer gave him a puzzling look before he snorted, shaking his head. "He seems like a good kid."

"He really is, just in a terrible situation right now."

Spencer nodded, "It's good he has your family then."

Tala smiled at him warmly, agreeing wholeheartedly.


	19. Seventeen Candles

**Welcome back everyone, hope your week was good.**

 **WARNING: Johnny... That's about all I can give here, he's an asshole.  
**

 **Everyone's excitement from last chapter really made my day, to my Guest thank you so much for all your words. Waking up to that review really made my day yesterday. And that is extremely awesome that you work in film! I hope you'll be able to find a spot to read this one when you get the chance, dark creepy corner or not.  
**  
 **I don't really have anything more to say aside from giving you all my love because you've given me yours. So thank you so much.**

* * *

Ch 19- Seventeen Candles. Tuesday, October 16th.

It wasn't the best sleep he ever had but it was better than tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep on his back for the time being he had gone to sleeping face first into his pillow; something he didn't like doing often but it was better than nothing.

His phone's alarm waking him up and as he shut it off he smiled at all the messages that were already waiting for him to go through, all happy birthday's from his friends and it warmed his heart to see them until he remembered that he had to work all day. How he was going to work with his shoulder blade still causing problems when he moved too much was a question he had plagued himself throughout the night, but the money he needed to get out was more important.

As he got himself out of bed Ray responded to the slew of text messages that everyone had given him, telling them all thank you and for Tyson he had to tell him that he wasn't the first one to tell him this year, as Kai had ended up messaging him right at midnight with his own 'happy birthday' text.

As he got dressed for his full day of work, something he wasn't all too fond of doing but didn't want to deal with the consequences of dealing with Stan if he objected, he stuffed his phone into his pocket and stepped out into the quiet of his home. Hearing Stan's heavy snoring coming through the bedroom right beside his, causing his stomach to tighten into knots and forced himself to the kitchen for something to eat.

Next door Kai was doing the same, getting himself ready for school and eating his breakfast with Natasha and Tala, Micah had already been up and gone before either of them had a chance to say goodbye to him.

In the silence of them eating Tala kept making glances at Kai, who had his phone in his hand staring at Ray's simple 'thank you' to his text he sent at midnight. His fingers itched to type something more but he never did, only staring at it as he bit into his toast quietly. Tala's eyes on him the entire time until Kai was done, giving him and their mother a quick goodbye before he left.

Outside he looked over at Ray's house expectantly, his stomach dropping as he didn't see him outside or the truck sitting in the driveway. Without waiting to see if the others were even going to show up he started for the bus stop, his mood already dropping like the temperature around him.

Popping in his headphones to drown out the other tired teens coming around him, he stood there with his hands in his jacket pockets with his eyes closed, leaning up against the chilled metal pole of the stop sign until the bus rolled up forty minutes later.

On the other side of town Ray was pulling up into the parking lot of the diner, his music on full blast like it always was until he shut the truck off and shut the door. Across the parking lot Janett was getting out of her own car, the two meeting each other's eyes and she scowled at him as he approached her near the front door.

"What're you doing here?" She asked as she unlocked the door for the two of them.

"Was on the schedule." Ray shrugged at her, a bad mistake, with hands in his own jacket pockets to keep them from the cold wind blowing by them.

Janett gave him a disbelieving look as she opened the door, stepping in without holding it open for him.

"You should be at school; an education is more important than work." She said over her shoulder, letting him open the blinds as they made their way to the back of the diner.

"Tell that to Stan." Ray mumbled under his breath as he rolled his eyes, thankful that she was too far away to hear or see him.

"How long are you on for?" She called through the empty diner at him, already at the register and clocking in.

"All day." Ray said tiredly, dreading the work load already.

Janett made a noise, stepping back from the register as he made his way into the kitchen with her, clocking in just as she had done.

"It's your birthday today?" She asked, seeing the little greeting pop up on the screen as he entered in his code.

"Yup, seventeen today."

"Don't think that really means anything, you still have a long way to go before you're anywhere a genius. For now, you're still a smart ass." She jabbed a finger in his arm.

Ray chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind." He told her as he went to the back room to put his jacket away with her following after him.

"Ashely and Rachel should be here too, you're on tables today though." Janett told him as they popped open their small lockers, stuffing their jackets and Janett's purse inside them respectively.

"Why tables?" Ray asked, giving her a questioning look.

"It's what's on the schedule, James is supposed to be teaching that new kid on the grill." Janett said with a slight scowl on her face, though it always seemed to be there to begin with.

"Okay…" Ray said as he shrugged his shoulders at her, another mistake as the movement pulled the binding around his wound.

He followed her back out into the diner just as Rachel and Ashely stepped inside.

"Happy birthday Ray!" They sang out at him, their cheeks slightly pink from the cold.

"Thanks guys." He smiled at them.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Rachel asked, leaning against the counter in front of the register where Ray had stopped at again.

"Yup."

"Then why are you here?" She pressed.

"Was on the schedule." He shrugged at her without looking up at her, mentally smacking himself, moving aside so Ashely could clock in.

"Hm, well that's stupid. You should be at school, with your friends and then somewhere else enjoying your birthday. Not here." Rachel said with a slight pout.

Ray refrained from shrugging at her, "Didn't have anything planned anyways."

"Well that's boring." Ashely said, joining their conversation.

"Majorly, who knew you were such a wet blanket." Rachel added.

Ray just shook his head at them, not caring either way. He was stuck there, not much he could do about it now even if he wanted to.

* * *

With first period over and no sign of Ray all morning, Kai's mood had only sunk down faster than the Titanic. The others had asked him if he knew where he was, their texts having gone unanswered and Kai's weren't faring any better. Unlike the others, who had bombarded Ray with text after text Kai had sent one but like the others it too had been ignored.

Wondering where he went wrong again, thinking it had something to do with the day before, Kai couldn't shake the feeling off now. He thought the two were back on good terms again, after what had happened in the locker rooms and during gym. Maybe he had read the signs wrong again, that Ray was actually upset with him and even more so for pulling Tala and an unknown into his dark corner and that kiss.

With his own dark cloud over his head he sat down, hard, into his seat behind Oliver who had watched him with curious eyes and already could see the questions wanting to pour out of his mouth the second he stepped into class with him. Sure enough, Oliver turned around to face him and Kai's back tensed up.

"I was just wondering how he's doing." Oliver asked in a quiet voice, the worry he had for Ray reflecting in his large eyes.

"He's alright."

"The others said he's not here today." Oliver seemed to ponder the reason why himself.

Kai shrugged his shoulders at him, "He won't answer our texts." He said dryly, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Oh… I see… What… What exactly happened to him?" Oliver asked carefully, unsure if he should have even asked.

Kai sighed heavily, eyes shifting to see if others were looking and then remembered that he and Oliver could talk without others knowing anything they were saying to each other.

(His uncle hurts him… This particular one isn't healing like it should, but he got it looked at yesterday and it should be fine.)

Oliver looked at him wide-eyed, his mouth slightly open as he processed it all. (How dreadful… Do the others know?)

Kai shook his head, making sure to narrow his eyes at him so he knew that this wasn't supposed to go further than the two of them.

(Nobody knows, Max has suspicions but he hasn't gone to Ray about it. I'm the only one who has seen them, between the others.)

Oliver didn't miss the look, or the way Kai's voice had turned almost deadly. (My lips are sealed, but if there is anything that I can do.)

(We'll handle it.) Kai told him quickly, getting a short curt nod in return.

(While we're talking, have you reconsidered my invitation?)

Kai arched a brow at him, this was hardly the time to be thinking of Halloween parties. (No.)

(No… You haven't thought about it, or no you're not coming?) Oliver seemed to pout at him.

(Both.) Kai answered in that same dry tone, sitting back into his chair as the teacher stepped into the room and the bell went off.

Oliver frowned at him before he turned around to face the front, vowing to get Kai to crack.

As the class dragged on, getting lost in his wandering thoughts again about how to fix what he thought was broken between the two of them Kai almost missed the bell, signaling the end of class. If it wasn't for Oliver, standing beside him looking like he was waiting on him, he would have been left behind as the rest of the class had already up and left.

"Are you sure you can't find the time to come?" Oliver asked him, using a sweet gentle voice as Kai gathered his books from the top of his desk.

"Pretty sure." Kai told him with a huff, wishing the other boy would get off his hip like a thorn.

"Okay, if you're absolutely sure. But I promise, you don't know what you'll be missing." Oliver told him with an air of confidence that didn't look like it could be shaken out of him.

Kai rolled his eyes, walking beside him as he considered the idea but the moment he did he cringed and died inside a little. Him, in a crowd of people he didn't know, who were more than likely going to get drunk and stupid was not something he wanted to be around.

Oliver seemed to follow him as they walked through the halls, going towards the stairs to the first floor for their lockers. Before they reached the stairwell Johnny pushed himself through the crowd towards them, immediately Oliver stepped behind Kai and put his head down. Kai's back tensed, his crimson eyes burning as they narrowed at the other boy with a smug smirk on his face.

"See you've got your body guard with you again, _Oliver_." Johnny sneered out.

"He's a friend." Oliver argued back, his voice shaking.

"Is that what they call it now?" Johnny asked, tilting his head back so he could look down at them past his nose, even though he was shorter than Kai.

"Enrique was your friend and you wanted to _fuck_ him in the ass." Johnny spat.

Kai's blood boiled, his glare turning deadly as he stared Johnny down. Oliver grabbed the back of his jacket, not needing another repeat of the last time and much less in a crowded hallway.

(Don't.) He warned quietly, though his words went through one ear and out the other.

"Guess you move on pretty quickly there, _Oliver_ , didn't think you of all people were into ass fucking though. Guess looks do deceive." Johnny sneered again, eyeing Kai with a smirk on his face.

Kai stepped forward, only to be stopped by Oliver's hold on his jacket and despite him barely moving Johnny stepped back. Still wearing that smirk on his face and the fear in his eyes vanished when he saw Oliver trembling behind Kai, becoming more challenging as he puffed his chest up.

"Don't hold him back now, _Oliver_ , let's see if all that ass fucking hasn't weakened his man-card." Johnny bit out.

Kai jerked out of Oliver's hold, Johnny barely had a chance to blink when Kai's fist hit him square in the face. His nose gushed blood as he stumbled back, holding onto it and that alone drew the crowd around them quickly. Chants and shouting went up quickly around them as Johnny recomposed himself and lunged for Kai, only to be side-stepped and almost ran into the ring of other students around them.

"I told you this wasn't over!" Johnny yelled through his blinding rage, swinging out for Kai again who caught his arm effortlessly.

Kai didn't spare him a second word, his free fist shooting up into Johnny's gut causing the red-head to double over. Kai threw Johnny's arm away from him as he stepped back, shaking out his wrists.

"It is now." Kai said coolly, the fire in his eyes still burning as his face was set in a hardened look.

"Not by a long shot, you fag!" Johnny yelled, righting himself up as he had clutched his stomach and jumped at Kai again.

This time he was successful in knocking the taller teen down on the ground the others around them all cheering excitedly, drawing the attention of the teachers as the two wrestled on the ground. Every hit Johnny tried to land on Kai's face missed, his fist hitting the ground each time as Kai dodged his attacks.

Getting tired of the other boy on top of him Kai reached around and grabbed a fistful of Johnny's flaming red hair, pulling his head back with such force Johnny gasped out in pain and started to try and pull Kai's hands out of his hair.

Smoothly, Kai used his other hand to push against Johnny's chest and send him onto his back on the ground. Kai released his hair, sitting on him where he pinned Johnny's arms down with his knees and reeled back for another strike. All the while Johnny's eyes were riddled with fear as he stared up into those dangerous looking crimson ones, his feet kicking out to try and get Kai off of him to no avail.

"Kai, stop!" Oliver's voice came through the rest of the crowd, only to be ignored again.

Like a snake striking its prey Kai's fist landed in the center of Johnny's face again, knocking his head against the floor once where his eyes rolled into the back of his head. As Kai reeled his arm back for another hit a teacher had finally managed to push through the crowd, grabbing the boy's arm and holding it from striking out.

Feeling the teacher's hands on his arm Kai released the front of Johnny's shirt and held his hands up, as if he were being put under arrest. Without a fight he let the teacher, aided by another one that broke through the crowd, to pull him to his feet. A third teacher appeared, pulling Johnny off the ground in a daze and his nose running with blood into his mouth. The crowd dispersed, their entertainment for the day now disrupted, in quiet whispers and murmurs as Oliver was left there watching the two of them being hauled down the stairwell by the three teachers, tears running down his face.

* * *

Ray blew out a cloud of smoke, sitting in his truck and listening to his music at a decent level for his first break. His feet were already killing him, it had been one hell of a breakfast rush and waiting tables wasn't something he was used to. Although his wound had only given him minimal problems so far, he feared what a whole day of working like that could do to it.

Scrolling through his phone it started to buzz almost frantically, being pulled into a group chat with the others. With a quirked brow he closed the app he had been on, going to the messages that were still pouring in quickly as he sucked on the end of his stick; ignoring the other flood of messages he had received from the others still.

{Damn Kai, if you were going to do that you should have saved us some seats.} Was Tyson's first choice of what to say.

{Is Oliver alright though? We haven't seen him yet and it's lunch time.} Max, the over worrier was next.

{Next time I'll be sure to charge an admission fee, and I don't know.} Was Kai's reply to the other two.

{What did he say to you guys? Everyone has a different story and we can't tell which one is true.} Tyson asked, as Ray's phone kept going off in his hands.

{Just being a dumbass again, don't worry about it.}

Ray could practically see the eye roll Kai had when he typed that out, feeling left out of the loop Ray finally moved his fingers to join in the conversation.

{What did you do?}

Kai froze for a second, not having seen or heard a word from Ray all day and now of all the times was when he wanted to make himself known to them?

Sitting in the chair outside the principal's office, Natasha inside talking with her over what happened, his fingers were left to hover over his phone and before he could reply back Tyson's speech bubble popped up on his phone.

{Well good morning to you Ray, where the hell have you been all day? Last any of us have heard from you was this morning.}

{I'm at work, I told you guys this last week that I had work today.} Was Ray's two-minute reply, before another bubble popped up under his name.

{On my first break, sorry for not responding to you guys earlier.}

{It's okay, we're just glad you're alright.} Max replied to him, and now it was Kai's turn to feel left out of the loop.

{Well, is somebody going to tell me what happened?} Ray asked in their group message, Kai's heart rate picking up again as his fingers quickly worked to type out a reply before one of the other two could tell him.

{Got into a fight with Johnny, Natasha is here picking me up now.}

{You idiot.} Two-minutes was all it took for Ray's reply to appear in the group chat and all Kai could do was chuckle. Yeah, he was an idiot, but damn it felt good.

{Was a lot easier to do, without you and Tyson there to stop me this time.}

{Don't sound so proud of yourself there, I told you what could happen.} Ray warned and Kai scoffed.

{Ask me if I really care, he had it coming.} Kai replied, leaving the two younger ones out of the conversation now.

Ray rolled his eyes, exhaling the smoke from his mouth as he read over Kai's message again before he stuck the cigarette back between his lips.

{I can already tell you don't, however stupid you were, I'm proud of you. Bout time someone knocked his lights out, again.}

Kai smirked, he was proud of himself too and by the sounds of the yelling match behind the principals door that was going on, he and Ray weren't the only ones proud of what he had done. Natasha was really laying it into Johnny's stepmother in there, and he wasn't about to step into the ring of fire and stop it.

As he sat there with his phone still in his hand another message popped up, this one without Ray as Tyson texted him and Max.

{We should totally surprise Ray at work, for his birthday.} Was his ingenious plan, though Kai wondered why he was bothering keeping Max in the chat when they were at lunch with each other.

He had been sitting there almost an hour now, having missed his English class while waiting for Natasha to show up and then when she finally did they waited for Johnny's father and he had yet to show up and the lunch bell had already rung, and still no sign of Johnny's father.

{That's a great idea, I got him a gift so we'll need to swing by our houses before we go though.} Max added, Kai could practically see the excitement coming from him.

{What about you Kai? We can always pick you up.} Tyson asked him.

{After what happened I'll be lucky if I'll see the light of day, but I'll let you know once my mom is done ripping the principal a new asshole.}

{Aw damn, I bet that's awesome.} Tyson replied and Kai's smirk grew, he couldn't hear much but what he could was awesome.

{Will let you know when she cools down.} Kai told the two, putting his phone in his pocket as the principal's door opened and Natasha stepped out.

"Let's go Kai." She barked, her icy blue eyes alight with a fire behind them and her face almost as red as her hair.

Kai nodded, grabbing up his backpack that he had gotten before they made him sit on the hard plastic chair for an hour and followed after he quickly and quietly.

(I can't believe that bitch, who the hell does she think she is?!) Natasha went off, barely out of the office doors and getting looks from the others in there as she led her foster son out.

Luckily, or so Kai thought, that nobody could understand what she was saying but that didn't stop the smirk from leaving his face.

(She gives you, _you_ , three days of suspension for defending that poor boy. When it was her sons fault, what does he get? Nothing! Stupid bitch.) Natasha continued on, storming down the hall and getting more looks from straggling students who were either skipping class or coming and going from the bathrooms.

(If there was another school close by, you'd bet your ass I'd transfer you with the snap of my finger.) She said, snapping her finger for emphasis before she turned to her quiet son.

(I'm proud of you Kai, even though you threw the first punch, I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and your friend.)

(Thanks Ma…) He said a bit embarrassed, shifting his bag's weight on his shoulder a little.

She smiled at him gently, looking like the worst of her rant had worn out. (Let's get you home, and don't worry about anything.)

(Well… In that case… Can we go to the store?) Kai asked, quickly following her out the front doors of the school and down the stairs.

(What for?) Natasha asked him as he came to walk beside her, heading out towards her car in the parking lot.

(It's Ray's birthday… I wanted to get him something… And go with the others to his work place… Surprise party… Type deal… If that's okay?) He mumbled as a faint blush spread across his face.

Natasha's mood seemed to switch completely at that, smiling brightly at him. "Of course darling, let's go see what we can find for him." She said, and by her switching back to English Kai knew the argument she had with his principal was now at the back of her mind.

Kai climbed in the passenger seat beside her as she started the car up, his brain going a mile a minute on what he could possibly get Ray that wouldn't be either too stupid, or too romantic. Thinking of no other option he quickly pulled out his phone, going to his group chat with Max and Tyson.

{I'm good to go later, heading to the store now. What does he like?}

{He likes just about anything, think he's had his eyes on that new CD… Can't remember the name of the band though.}

{Get him an iTunes gift card, that would work better.} Max added into Tyson's reply.

{Alright, thanks. What time?} Kai replied, his leg having nervously kicked up on him and his foot was left with tapping the bottom of the car as Natasha pulled them out of the schools parking lot.

{Think he's working all day; the rush should be over after five so say six?} Tyson asked the group chat.

{Okay, see you then.} Kai replied, putting his phone back into his pocket and decided to stare out the window of the car to keep his mind occupied, ignoring the twists and flips his stomach was currently doing.

* * *

As Ray picked up his last table of the night, finally the dinner rush having been over, leaving him more tired than he thought was possible. It was like he had ran four consecutive laps for track without stopping, leaving his feet swollen and his legs cramping.

Ashely and Rachel had only worked half the day, Janett was stuck with him still and Quinton had come in after James and the new kid had left around lunch. Ana and Janett were left with tables while he worked the last grill up to the dinner rush, being one grill man short, and it was a night he didn't want to repeat ever again. The second the patrons were gone so was Ana and Quinton, leaving Ray and Janett to clean and close the place down.

The door opened and he let out a heavy sigh, wanting to throw the dirty plate at the newcomers walking in as his back and last resolve seemed to snap. Luckily Janett beat him to it, snapping at the people still coming into the door.

"We're closing in ten minutes, sorry."

"Oh, we're not here for the food."

Ray spun around on his heel at the sound of Tyson's voice, his hair wrap snapping against the back of his legs as he took his friends crowding into the diner.

"What're you all doing here?" He asked, taking everyone standing in the middle of the diner.

"Happy birthday!" Tyson, Max, Lee, and Mariah all shouted out at him, holding out the wrapped gifts, and in Tyson's case the cake.

Instantly Ray felt tears at his eyes, until he realized he looked like a down right mess. Covered in grease and left over food particles, he was sweaty and gross and now embarrassed.

"Guys, you didn't have to do that."

"Of course we did, it's your birthday." Mariah said, being the first to step up but the moment she got too close she stepped back from the smell of the grease that was in his hair. "Could do with a bath though."

"Tell me about it. Um… Just set everything on any place that looks clean, I'll be done in a minute." He said quickly, finding a hidden strength to get his table clean.

Janett had watched for a minute, counting the till in the register quietly and watching the other teens set down what they had brought in along the counter. It was very small, hardly noticeable, but the corner of her mouth was actually upturned in a smile at the gesture from the others.

"Do you need any help?" Max asked, bouncing over to Ray at the back of the diner.

"Nah, I got it just make yourself comfortable. It won't take long." Ray said, getting the dishes in the grey bucket he had set on the table while he wiped it down.

Tyson wandered over to the jukebox that sat at the back, where Ray was, looking through the list of songs with half interest.

"You know, I don't think we've ever used this before." He mused, "Can see why, there's really nothing good." He chuckled.

"Don't waste your money." Ray told him, hauling the grey bucket of dirty dishes into the back of the kitchen.

Tyson shrugged his shoulders, finding a booth that had already been cleaned off. Max skipped over to him and sat down beside him, not knowing where to really go Kai followed over, the other two shifting around the semi-circle booth as Lee and Mariah came around the other side where they all could see Ray working in the kitchen.

"Hey." Janett stepped up to him, tossing him the keys as he turned from the sink, elbow deep in the hot soapy water.

"Happy birthday." She said with a wink, taking herself towards the back room to get her jacket and purse. Taking the till from the register with her to put in the safe.

"You sure you don't want to stay?" He called after her, pocketing the keys she had tossed him.

"No thanks, I enjoy enough of you teenagers in one day and I've had my fill." She called over her shoulder, slipping into the backroom.

"She seems to be peachy, as always." Tyson pouted, Max snickering behind his hand a little.

"It's been a long day." Ray said loud enough for them to hear, "I'm almost done."

"Take your time Ray, we're not in a hurry." Max called out to him.

A calm silence fell over them, the sound of Ray washing the dishes the only thing that filled the space between them all. Janett emerged from the back room a few minutes later, barely sparing the teens a look as she walked to the front door and slipped out into the night.

"I'll be right back." Mariah excused herself, looking pale in the face as she slipped out of the booth and went towards the bathrooms.

"She's gotten a bad stomach bug." Lee explained to the questioning looks Tyson and Max were giving him.

"How long has she had it?" Max asked, looking worried.

"Just started up last week." Lee shrugged.

"Well, hopefully she gets better for the homecoming game, and Oliver's party." Tyson said.

Lee nodded a little, not looking all that concerned about it. Ray joined them, plopping himself down on the corner beside Kai. Making sure to keep his back from touching the booth any and looked like he was ready to pass out at any second.

"You okay there?" Lee chuckled.

Ray shook his head a little, "Long day." He sighed out.

"Have you eaten?" Max asked.

"I had a sandwich bout three hours ago… I left the cake over there…" He seemed to pant out, looking over at the cake sitting amongst the gifts the others brought. Thankful that they had the decency to grab plastic plates, forks, and their own cake cutter.

"I'll get it." Lee said as he pulled himself out of the booth, grabbing the cake off the counter and bringing it back as Mariah stepped back into the main area with the others.

"Oh shit, we forgot the candles." Tyson groaned as Lee sat the cake down.

It was nothing overly special, just a simple white cake with blue and red icing. Looked like it was more for the Fourth of July than a birthday in the middle of October, but Ray was too grateful to say something about it.

"Good, means you don't have to sing happy birthday to me." Ray chuckled as he sat himself up some more into the booth, having been careful of his back.

"But that's the best part." Max giggled, "We still can."

"No. No that's fine." Ray said quickly, earning a few laughs from the others.

"I'll cut it for you." Mariah offered as she took her spot back on the booth, beside Tyson.

"Knock yourself out." Lee said, handing her the spatula as he sat down at the end.

"Do you want a middle or corner piece Ray?" She asked, already dividing the cake up.

"Corner and make it big." He said, eyeing the cake hungrily.

She dished out the pieces onto the plates Lee had put around her, passing them around to the boys after giving Ray his piece. In a content silence they ate their cakes, Tyson and Ray grabbing seconds for themselves. Stuffed up on cake they all took a minute before they got up, using the side Lee was on so Ray didn't have to get back up on his feet, to grab the gifts they had gotten him and brought them back over to him. Taking up their original spots around the table.

"Here you go Ray." Mariah said, holding out hers first as they had all been giving each other looks on who should present their gift first.

"Thanks." Ray said as he reached across the table for the little box, wrapped up in pink paper.

As the other's eyes went on him he tore into it, like a small child would, and popped open the box to reveal a new gold colored iPod.

"You said your other one got broken, so I figured you could use a new one." She said almost shyly.

"Thank you Mariah." He said, checking it over in the clear case it had come in.

"Mine next!" Tyson said, and tossed him the ball that had been wrapped in a dark-blue wrapping paper.

Ray's fingers dug into it a little, it was soft and by the looks of it a shirt and once he tore off the paper he was right. Holding it up to inspect it carefully, smiling wide at the logo of Three Days Grace's new album on the front of it.

"Thanks man." He put it aside, not wanting to get the muck that was on his clothes onto it.

"No problem, just glad it shipped in time." Tyson said as he rubbed the back of his head with a grin the width of his mouth.

"Here's mine." Max said, carefully passing his to Kai so he could hand it to him.

As Ray reached out for what looked like a wrapped book their fingers brushed, their faces burning and quickly pulling away before the others noticed. Like before his guess was right, Max had gotten him the last book of the Dark Tower series. Lee had gotten him a new white and black head band, since he was tired of seeing the same old red one he always wore.

Kai was the last one, sliding his gifts across the table towards him. One was a simple red envelope and in it was the iTunes gift card Max had suggested, while the second gift was a heavier jacket for the winter months that were approaching. It was a light gray leather, the inside padded to keep him warmer, and on the back was the image of a tiger looking ready to pounce that was blended into the material.

"Thank you guys… This really means a lot to me." He said, putting everything on the side of the table so he didn't get them dirty by touching them.

"Don't sweat it man, we're just happy we could do this with you." Tyson said, meeting his eyes and Ray felt guilt set into the pit of his stomach.

"We missed you at school today, that's for sure." Max added.

Ray nodded a bit, he had missed them too. "Well, it's late… We should probably head home. I need a shower." He chuckled as the others laughed with him.

Lee and Max cleaned up the remains of the cake, Ray letting Tyson take it home since he had bought it, Kai had taken up the gifts they had gotten him since he hadn't wanted to touch them still. With the diner locked up and the other three in Lee's SUV ready to head home, he kissed Mariah goodbye as Kai had already made himself comfortable in Ray's truck.

"You sure you don't want to come over tonight?" She asked once they parted.

"Any other night I would, but I'm just ready to crash at this point." He told her tiredly, his heart clenching.

"I have another gift waiting for you though." She winked at him.

"I'm just not ready for that Mariah, we already tried and it didn't work." He huffed out, pulling away from her.

Mariah pouted out her lip at him, "Well this time might be different, you never know."

"We don't need to jump into having sex, okay? Let's wait till we're in a better place to deal with any consequences that might come with it. Sound good?" He asked in a firmer tone, holding her eyes with his own so she knew he wasn't going to budge on topic.

She rolled her eyes at him, letting his hands go. "Fine, whatever Ray. You're the only teenage boy out there that doesn't want to get laid apparently."

"You said the same thing last time."

"Because it's true, we were so close before you chickened out and left." She argued back, only for him to shake his head at her with an eye roll.

"And for good reason Mariah, I'm done talking about this though so I'll see you at school." He kissed her cheek and pulled away fully, going towards his truck.

Mariah watched him almost heatedly before she turned on her heel and climbed into her brother's SUV and slammed the door shut.

"You could have turned the truck on." Ray said as he climbed into the driver's seat beside Kai, turning the truck on to get the heater going.

Kai simply shrugged his shoulders, "It's not that cold."

"Yes it is, I'm freezing." Ray chuckled as he put his seat belt on, "Thank you, for coming."

"You're welcome." Kai told him as he settled into the seat some more as Ray put the truck in reverse.

"I really like that jacket, thank you." Ray said as he drove them out to the main road.

Kai smirked a little, figuring he would. "Didn't think a lousy iTunes gift card was going to cut it."

"Fifty bucks for music really does, you didn't have to spend that much on me."

"Don't worry about it." Kai shrugged at him.

"So, Mr. Deviant. How did it feel to knock Johnny's lights out again?" Ray smirked at him as they pulled up to a red light.

"Pretty damn good again, didn't even get in trouble with Natasha."

"Really? How come?" Ray asked.

"Her and the principal got into it, ended up saying some colorful things about the woman on our way out. I'm not complaining though, didn't really want to deal with being grounded back to back." Kai explained as the light turned green.

"That would have sucked and would have made it where you can't come with us this Saturday."

"I was hoping you'd have forgotten about that." Kai huffed as he sunk down a little in his seat.

"Nope, you're coming with us and that's final." Ray chuckled, nudging Kai in the arm with his elbow.

That wasn't the best decision he had made, as the movement caused him to pull his shoulder blade and the wrappings around his back pulled. Kai didn't miss him flinching and the good mood he felt was swept away quickly, watching Ray carefully out the corner of his eye.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, still hurts a little when I move it too much. Was a bitch all day." Ray explained, "I'm just hoping it'll be better by Saturday."

Kai nodded a little, he hoped so to. "I can check on it tomorrow, when you get home from school." He offered, hoping that they wouldn't have a repeat of Monday.

"Sure, but nobody said I was going to school."

"You're not?" Kai arched a brow at him, turning to face him.

"After the day I had, no way. I'm sleeping in all day. Stan's leaving for the week anyways, some friend of his picked him up earlier today so I have the house all to myself." Ray said, sounding happier than he had all night.

"You can come stay the night if you want." He added quickly, "If you want that is."

Kai's stomach did it's little dance as he weighed up his options, if anything it would be better if Ray stayed at his place since he had the couch to sleep on whereas Kai would have to sleep on the floor. Then there was running the risk of having a repeat of the last time Ray stayed over, on top of everything else.

"Might be better if you stayed over at my place, Natasha wouldn't mind it as much." Kai said, his face already warming.

"Okay." Ray said as he pulled them down onto their street, pulling up into the drive of his home and cut the engine.

"I'm going to take a shower first though, wanna come with me?" Ray asked, turning to look at him.

Kai blinked at him a few times and it finally clicked in Ray's head how that had sounded.

"I mean, over to my place first and wait for me. That way I'm not waking anybody up by knocking or having to crawl through your window." He said, his own face burning with a blush.

"Oh… Right, yeah. I can carry your stuff in for you then."

"Thanks." Ray squeaked out as he pulled his keys from the ignition, becoming frozen for a minute before he slapped himself out of it. "Should get inside… Before we freeze out here." He said quickly, getting out of his truck with Kai following suit and grabbing the gifts from the back.

At the front door Ray's blush was in full force, thankful that Kai was behind him so he couldn't see it. Struggling with getting the door unlocked for a few minutes he finally stepped into his house, flicking the light on as he held the door open for Kai to come in behind him.

"Can just put that stuff on my bed, I won't be long." Ray said as they parted ways in the small hallway before slipping into the bathroom.

Kai nodded to him and went into Ray's room, doing what he had said and then found himself just sitting there. Like Ray had said he wasn't long at all, but the second he stepped into his room Kai's heart skipped a beat since Ray had only come back in with a towel around his waist and his hair down, dripping water along the floor behind him. Ray froze at the door, looking like he had forgotten Kai was there or hadn't really expected him to have been sitting on his bed waiting for him.

Kai stood up, looking everywhere but at the other boy standing in the doorway. Tan skin glistening with left over water, the towel wrapped loosely around his trimmed waist and the hair he wanted to run his fingers through was too much to really take in. He didn't need to make a fool of himself, but Ray hadn't moved from the doorway yet.

"Stay." Ray said in a calm voice, the blush over his face ten-fold.

Kai's throat clenched up on him and all he could manage to do was nod, his heart slamming in his chest as Ray stepped up closer to him until they were standing toe-to-toe with each other.

"Just… Just stay." Ray breathed out as he reached out and ran a finger down the length of Kai's arm, goosebumps trailing after it as the finer hairs stood on end.

"Okay." Kai said once he cleared his throat, reaching his own hand out and settled it over Ray's hip and pulled him closer where their chests brushed.

Neither were sure on who initiated it first, who had leaned in closer until their lips touched nor did they really care. Like he wanted to, Kai ran his free hand through the dark wet locks as he pulled Ray as close as he possibly could. Ray's own hands went around Kai's back, his fingers curling into his jacket.

There was a shift in movement and before they knew it, could stop it, Ray was backing Kai towards his bed. The moment the back of Kai's legs hit the bed he leaned back, pulling Ray down on top of him without breaking the kiss.

With a start, as if he had been falling down, Ray woke up covered in a sweat. Frantically he looked around, realizing he was back in his own room with his gifts sat over on his desk on the other side of the room where he had put them. The entire conversation they had in the truck about them staying the night was nothing more than just part of his dream, Kai hadn't even stepped foot into his home.

The only truth to it was that Stan was gone, something he was more than thankful for. Knowing that he was safe for a week, giving his wound the time to properly heal and not having to wake up to insults and snide remarks at every turn.

As the dream replayed in his head Ray growled in the back of his throat, burying his face in his pillow as he let out a scream that was muffled.


	20. Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time

**All of your reviews last time killed me, ya'll were so mad at me it really made my day! LOL.  
Seriously, I do apologize for jerking everyone's chains so much here.**

 **To my guest: Girl, get an account I want to be able to respond to your reviews cus your last one really got me excited to talk but I can't reply!**

 **To everyone: I am actually slowly catching up to myself here, we're on chapter 20 and I only have up to Ch 24 written out and it's not done yet sadly. I'll do my best to keep going, but doing so it might be long. So, do you wish me to separate it like I did the other one and post one half on whatever day it falls and the other 'half' in between? I don't mind updating it like that early if that is what ya'll want me to do. If not I'll keep to the Monday and Friday arrangement. Let me know in the reviews.**

 **Hope everyone's weekend was good, mine was long as all hell. Thought yesterday was Monday and woke up excited to post until I realized it was only Sunday. So finally we're here! Enjoy!**

 **This chapter was like the third one I actually wrote after starting the whole fic, and I've held onto it since with a few minor adjustments so that way it all fell into place because some things got twisted around or changed.  
**

 **Chapter is another song title and belongs to Panic! at the Disco. Did originally have a karaoke scene that I ended up cuttin cus it was just too long and not needed. But I kept the title because it still fits in it's own way.**

 **SPOILER: If you haven't watched Avengers Infinity War go watch it and then come back, if you don't care about the ending then keep reading.  
**

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Ch 20- Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time. Saturday, October 20th

Missing the rest of the week Kai finally conceded with going to the homecoming game with the others, the younger two of their group having been almost relentless with their constant begging through texts. Kai felt like he hadn't really had a choice in the matter but after not having seen them for the three days of his suspension he was actually looking forward to seeing them again, including Ray.

The last time he had seen him was the night of his party, the two parting ways the moment Ray had pulled up into the drive of his home. Kai had offered to carry his things in for him but Ray declined the offer, and they said their goodnights and that was it.

Going to bed that night he couldn't help but feel like there was another wall between them again, why or where it came from he wasn't sure. Not after the night they had at the diner, or all he had done for him the day before. Maybe he was overstepping again and not wanting to risk their friendship he hadn't bothered to even text Ray during his suspension, and it wasn't like Ray had done the same either.

When Friday had come around Ray had asked for Tala to come and check the wound, getting the all clear but still to be mindful of it as it was still in the process of healing but he no longer had to wear the binding and the infection looked like it was leaving.

Kai wasn't sure what he had been expecting as they pulled up into the packed parking lot of the school around seven at night, everyone bundled up in heavier jackets and hats since the temperature had decided to drop over the past week, October coming to a close and November first only two weeks away now.

Along with their heavier winter attire the others had gone to the lengths of painting their faces with their school colors. Tyson had gone for the full face, in green and white and black. Mariah had drawn their mascot, a brown bear, on Max's cheeks, with the green background. Ray and Mariah had gone for just painting their cheeks in simple stripes with the colors, like they were football players.

Lee, and Kai were the only two having forgone painting their faces. Instead Lee wore his track jersey under his heavy coat; the other boys in their respective jerseys as well. Kai once again the odd man out, not that he really cared since Ray looked good in the jacket he had gotten him for his birthday.

After circling the parking lot three times, Lee finally found an empty space, everyone clambering out from what had become their assigned seats and they fell in step with the other students and parents all heading towards the lit up football field that sat on the left of the school. Tyson and Max were practically bouncing on the tips of their toes, taking bets on which school team was going to win the homecoming game this time, Tyson betting the rivaling team to be the winner and Max betting on their home team to win.

Mariah walked beside Ray, her head against his shoulder and her arms around his as they walked behind the others, her brother at the front with Tyson and Max as Kai and Kenny fell somewhere between them; having been waiting for the others to show up since his parents had brought him.

They stepped through the open gates to the field, scouting out a space on the bleachers that would sit them all and Lee led them towards the fourth row. Emily, Julia, Miguel, and Raul sat together in front of them; each having painted their faces with their school colors as well. Behind them sat Robert and his broken group consisting of Johnny, and Enrique. The three of them not much in the spirit either, and Kai wondered why they bothered to come at all. Around them sat their other classmates, some parents stuck in the middle, along with a few teachers. Even with the cold air the amount of bodies huddled together made up for their loss of body heat.

As they took their seats their schools cheerleaders came out, Hilary leading them out onto the field, to do their first routine as a song came playing over the loud speakers. The crowd cheered as the cheerleaders finished up their routine, the football players from their school coming out onto the field, Steve leading the front and the crowd burst up into a roar of applause. As the rival team came onto the field their side of the field booed over the other schools roar of applause and Kai rolled his eyes, this was almost childish and he was starting to wonder why he had agreed to come, he had never been to one of these events before and he was starting to see why he had always declined in going.

The national anthem came on over the loud speakers, some people rose to their feet while others stayed sitting until it was over and the game began with the rival team kicking the football across the field. Kai watched as their team chased after it, Steve catching the ball almost effortlessly and their side went back up in a roar of applause as he got the ball across the half marker before being tackled to the ground.

Within the first half hour their team had already made two goals, Tyson whining about possibly losing the bet he had made and Kai rolled his eyes at him as he tried to keep his focus on the game below them, honestly he was only paying attention here and there, not really getting the idea of what was so appealing about the sport.

Just as the timer ran down, ending the first half, their team scored another goal, their side jumping up in another wave of applause and Kai felt like he was going to go deaf before the end of the night was over.

By the time the last quarter came around the score was 20 to 10, their side obviously in the lead and Tyson handed over a twenty dollar bill to Max before the game had even ended, giving up all hope he had of wining the bet now. As another hour passed their team scored the winning goal, 25 to 12, their side acting like a ridiculous bunch of banshees with how they jumped up and screamed excitedly. Some popping party poppers, others blaring their airhorns into the air and Kai flinched from the sound invading his hearing, making his ears ring.

Numbly he stood up with his friends, following Mariah and Ray as they led them back to the truck this time, keeping his head down so he didn't have to watch the PDA going on between the two of them. On the way back the arrangement between their seats had changed, the two lovebirds taking the back row to make-out the entire way home and Kai took the front as Tyson and Max sat in the middle row, Kenny going back home with his parents.

Per the others requests, Lee dropped Kai and Ray off with Tyson and Max at their apartment complex; Ray having to pry Mariah off of him in order to even get out of the truck.

"You sure you don't want to go home with them?" Tyson asked with the wiggle of his brows and Ray's lips upturned into a sloppy grin as his face turned blood red.

"Knock it off." He said, pushing against his friends shoulders. "We going in and doing this or not?" He asked, trying to change the subject as his face still burned.

"Yeah, yeah hold your horses." Tyson huffed as he led them towards his front door.

"Hey, I'll be right back!" Max said as he took off to the apartment next to Tyson's, slipping inside before they had a chance to ask him where he was going.

"Who wants some midnight pizza?" Tyson asked as he opened his front door, letting the other two to step inside before he followed after them.

"You paying?" Ray asked.

"Nah, I got frozen pizzas. Gramps made sure to stock the place before he left." Tyson explained, going towards the back of the first floor where the kitchen sat, pulling out two boxes of frozen pizza from the freezer.

Ray went over to the living room portion of the first floor, throwing himself down on the brown leather couch that faced the wall and TV, his wound not bothering him as badly now that it was finally healing properly. Ray turned the TV on as Kai took a seat on the loveseat, against the wall by the front door. Tyson was fiddling with the oven when the doorbell rang, Kai getting up to answer the door since it didn't look like either of the other two were about to. Max stood outside, two boxes of beer in his hands as he held them up with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Why'd you ring the doorbell?" Tyson asked as he sat on the counters of the island in the middle of his kitchen, waiting for the oven to preheat.

"It would be rude to just walk inside someone else's house." Max said back as he carried the two boxes into the kitchen and sat them beside Tyson on the island.

"Dude, you do it all the time." Tyson said with a roll of his eyes. "Are you sure your parents aren't going to notice _two_ boxes missing?" He asked, eyeing them beside him.

"You should see the stock my dad has these days, I'm sure he isn't going to notice." Max said as he pried one of the boxes open, Ray having come off the couch to join the others in the kitchen and grabbed a beer from Max's outstretched hand.

"Did you want one Kai?" He asked, holding it out to him.

"No thanks." Kai said, not in the mood to drink anything at the moment.

Ray shrugged his shoulders before he twisted off the top, chugging a good portion of it down, Max and Tyson following suit.

"So, what'd you all want to do?" Tyson asked after taking another swig of his beer.

"Oh, I can totally bring over my Xbox and TV. Be right back, Ray come help me."

"I'm drinking, take Kai." Ray said and Kai arched a brow at his snappy attitude, wondering what was wrong with him since he had seemed to be acting strange all night.

It wasn't like him to look as angry as he had been, not to mention the excessive amount of PDA he and Mariah had been doing all night knowing full well it wasn't something he had currently done before. Then there was the way Ray had been avoiding him almost constantly now since his birthday. He was almost afraid to ask why, not wanting to ruin the only real friendship he had made in his life. It was what had kept him from reaching out, Ray had told him to worry about himself on Monday so Kai was trying to do just that; even if it was killing him on the inside.

"Okay, c'mon Kai!" Max said, quickly downing his drink and slamming the empty bottle onto the counter before taking Kai by the wrist and hauling him out of Tyson's apartment back to his next door, leaving no room for Kai to voice a protest.

When they came back, Max carrying his Xbox and controllers Kai carrying his 30" TV in his arms, the pizza was already in the oven cooking and Ray and Tyson had already downed another bottle of beer each.

"Just set it up next to the other one." Tyson instructed, and Max and Kai went to work on getting it set up on the floor beside the entertainment center.

"What're we playing?" Ray asked as he watched them set it up, leaning his back against the island where Tyson was still sat.

"We got Overwatch, Call of Duty, Halo, and Forza." Max listed off.

"Oh we should play Forza, that way we can all play at the same time." Tyson said from his spot on the island.

"Okay, Forza it is." Max said, turning the bigger TV over to the connection for Tyson's Xbox, while Kai took his seat back on the loveseat to watch.

Ray wandered back into the living room, nursing another beer and Kai arched a brow at him.

"How many are you going to have?"

"What are you, my mother?" Ray bit back.

Kai was a little speechless after that so he shut his mouth, no sense in trying to reason with him since something had crawled up his ass and died all of a sudden.

"Winner of each race goes against the other, sound good?" Max asked once he got both home-screens of the game up on the TV's.

"Sounds good to me." Tyson said as he pulled out the first pizza, popping the other one in and setting the timer.

Grabbing another beer for himself he picked up the first pizza and brought it over to the coffee table in the middle of the living room, taking his controller up as Kai grabbed the second one.

Max went back to the kitchen to grab his unfinished beer, grabbing another one for later and grabbed his controller as he sat beside Ray who had moved to the floor in front of Max's TV.

"Have you ever played this before?" Tyson asked Kai as he took Ray's empty spot on the couch that faced the larger TV. Kai shook his head and a broad smile took over the width of Tyson's mouth.

"Well this'll be easy then." He said as he took them to the garage.

Kai studied each car as if he was actually going to buy one, checking each stat of each car until he picked one he was satisfied with, the others having the time to grab a piece of pizza as they waited for him, Ray's empty beer bottle sitting beside him now it had taken him that long.

"You ready now grandma?" Tyson asked in a dull voice and Kai just flipped him the bird in response, settling himself into the loveseat as he focused on the TV to the side of him.

"Ready to lose boys?" Max asked as the races started up.

The four had gone quiet, each one focused on their own cars as their races started, their cars already in a slow pace until they reached the starting line and they took off down the track. Kai's car taking over Tyson's around the first turn.

"Hey, you're actually pretty good Kai." Tyson sang in praise, and Kai smirked back, crimson eyes on his car as he made it drift around the sharp corner of the track as Tyson careened into the wall.

"Dammit!" He cursed, reversing his car and trying to catch up to Kai's car already far down the track.

Max had taken the lead for his and Ray's first lap, Ray having caught up near the end and overtook him for the second lap until his car ran right into a barrier and Max sped off past him.

"Shouldn't drink and drive Ray." Max laughed, getting nudged in the shoulder by Ray as he righted his car and sped off after him.

The four went quiet again, each one focusing on their own race again, Tyson's tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in his concentration. No matter how hard he had tried to catch back up to Kai's car it was no use, the winner being Kai and he sat his controller on the coffee table in front of him with a smirk on his pale lips.

"Beginners luck." Tyson said, the oven beeping as the second pizza was ready and he got up to grab it.

"Looks like it's you and me Kai." Max said as he took Tyson's spot on the couch, taking up Tyson's controller and going back to the home screen to set up a new race as Tyson came back with the second pizza, placing it beside the other one that Ray had started eating alone as he focused on the larger TV.

"Wanna make a bet?" Tyson asked as he sat on the floor beside Ray, taking up a piece of the first pizza.

"Sure." Ray said with a shrug as Kai was taking his time in choosing another car.

"I bet Max wins, and if he does you have to jump into the pool." Even Kai and Max turned their attention to Tyson for a moment, staring at him almost blankly.

"What?" He asked as all eyes turned to him.

"What kind of bet is that?" Max asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't have anymore money." Tyson said.

"So if Kai wins you have to jump in the pool?" Ray asked with a quirked brow.

"You know what, the _losers_ have to jump into the pool. So Max you better win." Tyson said as a coy smirk crossed his face.

Max looked to Kai to see if he was alright with the new rules and Kai only shrugged back, not really caring either way.

"Alright then, prepare to go for a cold dip." Max said as he started up the race.

Like before the four went silent as the race commenced, Max taking the lead right away as he drifted around the first corner of the track, Kai right behind him and Tyson broke the silence with a cheer.

"C'mon Maxie, leave him in the dust!" He shouted throwing his fist into the air.

Kai shifted on the couch as he pushed the accelerator button down harder, his car speeding up as he took the lead past Max through another turn. His eyes narrowed in concentration, not risking the chance of catching hypothermia due to Tyson's stupid bet as he guided his car around another curve only for it to spin out on the grass and hitting the wall, Max taking the lead again.

"Kai what're you doing, c'mon!" Ray shouted, shifting on his knees as he didn't feel like having to take a cold dip either.

Kai growled in the back of his throat as he steered his car back onto the track, having to catch back up to Max's car as they neared the finish line and starting the second lap with Max still in the lead. Kai's car came flying up behind Max's, his front end tapping Max's bumper and the blonde bit into his bottom lip as he about lost control of his car.

"That's playing dirty Kai!" He spat without looking at him, pulling away around a turn only for Kai to come back up behind him and hit the back corner of his car.

"Kai!" He warned out in a growl of frustration.

"No cheating Kai!" Tyson shouted.

"No keep going Kai!" Ray encouraged, his eyes glued to the screen.

Kai directed his car beside Max's as the track stretched out before them, the two cars now neck and neck as they reached the third turn and Max threw his car into the side of Kai's sending it off into a barrier.

"HEY!" Kai and Ray shouted together as Max's car sped off down the road, Tyson jumping up and high-fiving Max as the two laughed.

"The fuck was that?!" Ray asked angrily as Tyson sat back down beside him.

"It's what he gets for trying to cheat." Tyson argued back as Max and Kai went back to focusing on the last lap, Max so far in the lead that Kai and Ray didn't think they had a chance at winning now.

Somehow Kai had made it back up beside Max for half of the third lap but it was no use, Max's car sped across the finish line and inch ahead of his. Tyson and Max jumped from where they were sat, high-fiving each other again as the two losers sat back and let out a groan of displeasure.

"Alright boys, time for a midnight swim." Tyson shouted out with joy.

Ray and Kai didn't protest, a bet was a bet and they had lost it. The three of them washed their faces of their paint, half forgetting it was there to begin with, but didn't want it running from the pool water before they left Tyson's apartment.

The two winners led the losers through the darkened apartment complex, their only light coming from the street lamps and the few porch lights some people left on, until they wound their way to the community pool near the front of the complex.

"Oh look, what a surprise it's locked." Ray said dully as they approached the metal gate.

"That's what you think." Tyson said with a wiggle of his brows, motioning the others to follow him around the other side of the enclosed pool where the storage shed sat.

"They don't lock this door, and you can get through it to the pool." Tyson said as he pulled the door open, flicking the light switch on and letting the others go in front of him through the shed to the other door that led to the pool.

"Great…" Ray mumbled, stepping through the second door and held it for the other three, glaring at Kai as he walked past him.

"Alright you two, time to get wet." Max laughed as they came to stand at the edge of the pool.

"How long do we have to stay in for?" Ray asked.

"Ten minutes." Tyson said on the other side of Max.

"You're paying my hospital bills if I catch the flu." Ray shot back as he started to pull off his jacket and toe off his shoes, making sure to empty his pockets.

"Fuck it's cold…" He said as the wind swept past them and he brought his arms around himself, cursing himself for only wearing his thin track jersey out.

Kai toed off his shoes, emptying his own pockets quietly and shed his jacket, leaving everything piled up behind him before he stepped up to the pool where his toes hung over the edge. He barely flinched from the cold, having worn a long sleeve shirt under his jacket.

Ray looked to Kai as it was only fair he go in first, but neither moved and Tyson and Max stepped up behind them and shoved them in since they were taking too long. Ray broke through the surface of the water, spitting some out as he let out a gasp and tried to wrap his arms around himself again but it didn't matter, the water felt like ice.

"I'm g-g-going to k-k-kill you two when I-I-I get ou-out." Ray said through chattering teeth, his golden eyes narrowed at the two 'winners' bent over laughing at them.

Kai surfaced and started to float on his back, the water wasn't that cold to him and he started to backstroke towards the shallow end of the pool.

"How-how are yo-you not-cold?" Ray asked as he watched him swim past him, moving his hands against his arms in a futile attempt to keep warm.

"Move around, it'll keep your body heat." Kai said back, kicking lazily till he reached the end of the pool and kicked back off the wall coming back towards Ray still standing in the middle.

Tyson and Max gave each other cheeky grins, stripping themselves of their own jackets and shoes before they jumped in with their friends, the water splashing over Ray's head and he let out a squeal as it washed over him.

"OH SHIT IT IS COLD!" Tyson yelled, quickly going to the side to get himself out, only to get grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back in by Ray who quickly pushed his head under the water.

"It's what you get you asshole!" He yelled, holding him under the water before letting him surface again.

Tyson sputtered out water, going after him next as Max swam over beside Kai to keep his body heat, the two doing laps as Tyson and Ray were wrestling and throwing water at each other. Max stopped and grabbed hold of Kai's shoulder, nodding his head towards the other two with a cheeky grin and Kai smirked at him.

The two silently swam towards the two in their own world and jumped them without warning, Max holding Tyson's head under the water as Kai held Ray's down. When they let them up the two sprang up spitting and sputtering, having two new opponents to go after they forgot about their own scuffle and retaliated. Kai and Max swimming away from them quickly, each throwing a wall of cold water up to stall them.

"Max Tate you better get your ass back here!" Tyson shouted as he swam after him, Max in a fit of giggles as he swam to the shallow side of the pool.

"I know where you live Hiwatari!" Ray threated, throwing water back at him only for Kai to duck down into the water and kick off towards him, wrapping his arms around Ray's waist and bringing him back under the water with him.

Kai let him go, surfacing together and Ray pushed him away from him as he spat water on his face.

"Asshole." He said with a laugh, Kai chuckling back at him.

"Hey, lets play a game of chicken!" Tyson shouted as he was already climbing onto Max's shoulders, pushing his head under the water at the same time.

Ray looked to Kai who shrugged his shoulders, "Top or bottom?" He asked.

"I don't think I'd be able to hold you on my shoulders." Ray answered, his face turning red at the choice of words Kai had used.

Kai didn't say anything, ducking under the water for Ray to get over his shoulders. He was steady as he came back up, Ray sitting on his shoulders as Max carried Tyson on his over where the other two were in the center of the pool, the water at Max's waist and around Kai's chest.

Tyson and Ray reached out for each other, their hands slipping against their wet arms and they lost their hold, Ray quickly going back and grabbing at Tyson's arms keeping his own arms out of his reach as he jerked him forwards and backwards. Max getting tossed around with Tyson's weight on his shoulders trying to dig his heels into the bottom of the pool, keeping his hold on Tyson's legs as tight as he could, his fingers digging into his soaked jeans.

Kai stepped back as he felt Ray's weight shift back again, making the other two having to follow towards the deeper end of the pool as Max was losing his footing and Tyson was halfway bent over his head.

"Back up again Kai!" Ray ordered, his nails digging into Tyson's arms and with one final pull they brought Tyson down off of Max's shoulders as he face planted into the water.

"HA!" Ray shouted victoriously before he fell into a fit of hysterics on Kai's shoulders.

Without warning Kai grabbed under Ray's thighs that were dangling off his shoulders, lifting him off almost effortlessly, and tossed him back into the water behind him into the deep end. Tyson and Max fell into a fit of laughs at him as he surfaced, his golden eyes almost burning.

"Fuck was that for?!" He yelled.

Kai shrugged his shoulders at him, "You're heavy." He said with a smirk, causing the other two to laugh harder.

"You're going to have to sleep with one eye open tonight Hiwatari." Ray threatened from across the pool.

Kai went to speak again when the lights around the pool all flicked on, the four of them froze momentarily before they all swam towards the edge of the pool where their belongings sat, snatching them up and running towards the door they had come through and had left open just as they heard a voice shouting on the other side at them to stop.

They didn't listen, Tyson and Max rushing through the door together and Kai coming up at the rear behind them and Ray as he slammed the door behind them. They kept running, not looking back, through the darkened field until they couldn't hear the man's shouting any longer and came to a stop bent over panting for air.

"Oh shit that was close." Max laughed as he used his knees to balance himself, panting hard.

"Too close." Tyson agreed with a large intake of cold air. "Should probably head back and get in a warm shower." He breathed out and the others nodded but neither made a move to go yet, trying to catch their breaths and still their racing hearts.

Once they had stilled their nerves and caught their breath they headed back to Tyson and Max's apartments, since each one had two bathrooms they split up, Ray going to Max's apartment as Kai followed Tyson back into his.

"There's towels in that closet by the stairs, I'll get you some of my brothers clothes since you look like you might be the same size." Tyson said as they reached the second floor.

Kai went to the closet beside the stairs that Tyson had pointed out as he went to his brothers room down the hall, coming back with a pair of pajama bottoms and a blue shirt for him. Kai took his towel and change of clothes to the hall bathroom as Tyson slipped into his grandfathers bedroom quietly, Kai shutting the bathroom door behind him and started to peel his sopping wet clothes off of his chilled body.

Once they had all showered and changed into a pair of clean and dry clothes, Max and Ray came back over to Tyson's, since Ray's hair wrap had gotten wet he kept his hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and they congregated back into the living room as Tyson took their wet clothes into the garage to throw them into the wash. When he came back the others were sat around the living room nursing a beer each, even Kai this time, while lazily gnawing on a cold piece of pizza.

Tyson grabbed himself a beer as he joined them, plucking his own piece of pizza off the coffee table as he sat beside Max on the loveseat, the older two of their group having taken the couch but on the furthest cushions from each other.

"What do you all wanna do next?" Tyson asked after finishing his pizza and taking a swig of his beer.

"Oh, how bout we watch Infinity War?" He said and got up before the others had a chance to respond, going to the entertainment center and started digging through his movies.

"Noooo, I don't want to watch Spiderman die again." Max whined out with his cheek pressed into the cushion of the loveseat, having fallen over the second Tyson had gotten up.

"Well thanks for spoiling it." Ray whined out, his own buzz fizzing in his head from having downed four beers already.

"Dude, it's been like a year, how did you not know?" Tyson asked as he looked over his shoulder at him.

"What? I'm behind on them, and I don't look up spoilers like you." Ray bit back, the alcohol swimming through his body and it made his head hurt but he pushed past it.

"That settles it then, we're watching it." Tyson said as he put the disc into his Xbox before going over and sitting under Max's legs, having picked them up and then placing them over his own, the blonde turning himself over onto his back as he settled the back of his head against the armrest of the loveseat.

Ray tucked his legs underneath him, getting comfortable in his corner of the couch and leant the side of his head into the palm of his hand as he propped his elbow on the armrest. Kai kept his feet propped up on the coffee table, crossing his arms over his chest as he settled into the back of the couch as the movie started to play.

Before the movie had even hit the half-hour mark all four of them had fallen asleep where they sat, the movie playing in the background long forgotten.

Kai startled a little when something warm had curled up against his side and he fought to open his eyes but they were too heavy and he fell back asleep for another hour before waking up again, the movies menu screen playing on repeat.

He groaned out, rolling his stiff neck around and it cracked and he went to push himself off the couch when he realized that there was an unexpected weight against his chest and his face burned as he saw Ray's head against him. His mind went into a panic, not sure what to do and he quickly glanced over at the other two still passed out, Tyson having fallen over beside Max and was practically cuddling his backside, Max's leg dangling off the side of the couch.

Kai cleared his throat, gently nudging Ray a little making the boy against him groan and curl up closer to him.

(Not now) He muttered out, his fingers clinging to Kai's shirt.

"Ray… Ray wake up…" Kai spoke quietly, trying to wake him up and get him off of him before he died of a heart attack.

Ray shifted off of him slowly, pressing the heel of his palms into his eyes as he let out a groan of pain and shook his head and hissed out as it seared.

"Fuck…" He muttered.

"You okay?" Kai asked, eyeing the back of his head carefully as he tried to still his frantic heart.

"No…" Ray breathed out, running a hand through his bangs, pulling them back from his face only to let them fall back where they had laid before, the rest of his hair disheveled and coming undone.

Without looking back at Kai, Ray pushed himself from the couch slightly wobbling before he steadied himself and started towards the kitchen. Having to use the counters to keep himself standing as he rummaged around the cabinets for a glass, filling it with water from the sink. Silently he took his glass of water towards the back door and Kai watched him go, giving him some space for a few minutes before he followed after him.

The temperature had dropped again as the night had continued on, the moon was bright as it hung high in the nighttime sky, the stars being drowned out that they could hardly see them. Ray had been standing, his glass of untouched water in his hand as he stared up at the moon as if he was having a staring contest with it. Luckily Max had given him a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt to wear and the cold water from the pool hadn't aggravated his wound.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, closing the back door behind him quietly so he didn't wake up the other two still inside.

Ray didn't even look at him, almost unblinking. "Do you ever sit back and wonder what your life could be like if you hadn't done certain things?"

"Almost all the time." Kai answered as he shifted against the door, leaning against it as he folded his arms over his chest.

"What about having the courage to do things you normally wouldn't do?" Ray asked, still not looking at him.

"Sometimes." Kai answered, raising a brow out of habit. "Why?"

Ray shook his head at him a little, "Just asking…" He breathed out, finally turning to look at him and it was like Kai had been stabbed in the heart all over again with the way Ray was looking at him, his breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked again after clearing his throat, his heart racing in his chest again for a reason unknown to himself.

"I'm not sure…" Ray answered, his voice cracking as if he was on the verge of tears. "I just know something isn't right, but I don't know what it is." He answered in the same broken voice.

Kai didn't say anything, not knowing what to say to him but his heart hurt for him. He had never seen Ray looking this way, part of him suspected it was the alcohol still in his system but he wasn't sure.

He waited against the door for Ray to speak again but a silence had come over them and he shifted again where he stood, giving him one last chance to talk before he realized that Ray had gone quiet on him and he turned around to leave him outside in the cold by himself. As his hand was on the handle, about ready to pull, Ray spoke up finally.

"Kiss me." He breathed out, his words being carried away by the wind and it felt like time had stopped between the two, Kai's brain having a hard time trying to process what he had even said and he slowly turned back around to face him.

"Wh-" "Kiss me." Ray cut through Kai's words, though he avoided looking at him and Kai could see his shoulders trembling, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or his nerves.

"You don't want me to do that." Kai said as he let his hand fall away from the handle of the door, his heart still beating against his chest so hard it almost hurt. Any other time he would, but now wasn't that time.

"Yes, I do." Ray answered in a shaky voice, "Because maybe if you do I'll be able to figure this out."

"You're drunk." Kai said plainly and Ray shook his head at him, clenching the glass of water in his hand tighter.

"Dammit why won't you just kiss me?! I know you like me!" Ray shouted at him and Kai's heart plummeted to his toes. "You can't even deny it, can you?" Ray bit out, his eyes narrowing at him.

"Why should I? Since you've known." Kai answered darkly, not liking the way Ray was staring him down and he was getting ready to go on the defensive.

"Then why won't you just kiss me?!" Ray screamed out at him.

"Because you're fucking drunk Ray! If I kissed you, come morning you'd hate me! Not to mention you have a girlfriend, incase your forgot!" Kai yelled back at him, his crimson eyes burning.

Ray turned his head away from him harshly at that, his shoulders uncontrollably shaking now as he gripped the glass cup in his hold as he ground his teeth together.

"What would kissing you even do for you? You think you can just use me to try and figure out your sexuality or something?!" Kai bit out angrily, his blood boiling.

Ray's head snapped back up, his eyes wide and his mouth falling open slightly at the accusation.

"That's not-" "Don't you _dare_ say that's not what this is! I'm not your goddamn Guinea Pig Ray!" Kai cut through, his fists balling up against his sides.

"I'm trying to place what I feel for you Kai!" Ray screamed back, his voice cracking again. "What I've come to feel for you isn't what a normal friend should feel and it disgusts me!" Ray yelled out and it was Kai's turn to stare at him wide eyed before he narrowed his eyes at him and stalked over to him angrily, backing him into the wooden fence that separated Tyson and Max's back yards.

"I fucking disgust you? My _people_ disgust you?! Is that what you're fucking saying?!" Kai screamed as he crowded him in, willing everything within him not to strike Ray in the face and break every one of his teeth.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Ray yelled back, "I meant that what kind of friend am I to have these feelings for you?! After what happened to Oliver… Enrique can't even look at him now, the others have abandoned him. I don't… I don't want that to happen to us! It feels like I've perverted our friendship because I love you!" Ray shouted as he kept his eyes on Kai's.

It took Kai a minute to respond, his anger overpowering anything else until he finally stepped back from Ray. He stood away from him, inhaling deeply to try and calm his anger before he let it get the better of him.

"You're drunk…" Kai said in a heavy sigh, meeting Ray's eyes again as he ran a hand through his bangs.

"I wasn't drunk when I started to feel this way about you." Ray answered back calmly, watching Kai carefully incase he decided to come at him again and actually punch him this time.

Maybe he deserved it, like it was his fault for all of this happening now. The distance he had put up between them hadn't worked, the dream he had on his birthday had plagued him through the whole week, prompting him to try and put that distance back up between them but like always it didn't work. He had tried, tried as hard as he could, to not feel the way he did for his friend but nothing worked.

He didn't know what to do about it but being honest about it now seemed like it was the worst idea he could have possibly come up with. Maybe he did want Kai to kiss him so he could figure it out, or maybe he just really wanted to know what it was like to kiss him and actually feel something from it for once.

"Please…" Ray's voice cracked through the silence between them, his heart feeling like it was about to rip out of his chest as his body started to tremble again.

Kai knew full well that he shouldn't, that it was the wrong time to do it but his body moved on it's own accord back towards him. He had tried to fight himself when he reached out and pulled Ray's body against his, his mind screaming at him as he leant down and put his lips to Ray's. His arms tightening around Ray's back as a spark shot through his body, a soft moan passing through his mouth as Ray leaned into the kiss more as his own arms wrapped around Kai's waist and his own moan escaped him.

For once he felt something, after a year of having not felt anything and it was almost overpowering, suffocating even, but it didn't make him feel any better about how he felt for Kai. It wasn't that they were two boys, but the fact that he had looked at Kai as one of his best friends and like he took their friendship to a place somewhere it shouldn't have gone.

He would have been angry at himself for complicating things but they had already been that way when he fell in love with him, he should have been scared for what might happen between them and what this meant for his relationship with Mariah but he didn't care.

Kai's hands had come down over Ray's sides, resting over his hips, and he pushed him back into the fence roughly, his tongue slipping past Ray's as he used it to explore the inside of his mouth. Ray let out another moan, his hand losing it's grip on the glass he was still holding and it fell and shattered on the concrete behind Kai's feet, but neither bothered to stop or care about it.

Ray's fingers dug into the back of Kai's shirt as he pulled him closer to him, as if needing him closer in order to keep him grounded to the Earth.

After what seemed like forever but not long enough, Kai pulled their mouths apart. The two of them breathless and feeling the need to suffocate each other again until morning but they stayed apart this time, just staring at each other as if waiting for the world to end around them.

The silence looming, this time heavier and just as suffocating as when they had kissed, a sense of dread and regret already washing over them the longer they looked at one another until Ray bridged the space between them and kissed Kai again, without a word of protest, holding onto each other just as tight as before.


	21. Smoke and Guns

**THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH! Made my entire week! I have been itching to get this out for ya'll and will start posting in the middle of the week just to keep this goin. So, expect Monday, Wednesday, and Friday updates!**

 **Smoke and Guns is another song, I keep saying I'm not trying to do this but apparently I am... Anyways it belongs to Natewantstobattle/ Nathan Sharp. He's amazing, check it out, cus it really is pretty good and connects here for this chapter.  
**

 **Real quick, Brooklyn isn't coming back. I had the idea for him to but due to the rating I pulled the idea out since it was a bit harsh. Kai doesn't know what Ray did for him either, and he won't know for some time.**

 **As I've mentioned before a lot of this is from my own experiences growing up, between the two I've used more of my issues for Ray than Kai and that also includes falling in love with my best friend. Nothing ever came of it, but I did tell her how I felt and that was that as I'm very happily married but it was good to finally be honest about it not only with her but myself and my husband didn't care since he figured it out himself.**

 **I think that's about it, I'm working on Ch 28 as we speak looking at a good 30 somethin chapters for this, trying to condense what I can so it's not dragging out forever but there's a lot to get out here between the two of them respectively.**

 **ENJOY! Really excited to see ya'll's reviews to this one.**

* * *

Ch 21- Smoke and Guns. Sunday, October 21st.

The silence was suffocating and unbearable but as Tala kept his eyes focused on the dark road ahead of him he didn't speak a word, Kai had gone to looking out the window the entire way home. For once there was no upbeat music between the two and Kai would have rather liked that than the uncomfortable silence, but thankful for it all the same that Tala hadn't bothered to pester him with the questions Kai knew he had.

The feeling of Ray's lips on his had yet to fade, even almost an hour after everything had gone to complete shit. He knew he shouldn't have done what Ray had asked but did it anyway and was paying the price for it now.

In between the heartache and the anger he felt there was more guilt in there than anything, no doubt the walls were going to come back up stronger than before. Dreading Monday and when they'd have to face each other again, the thought of running away had crossed his mind; old habits die hard, even calling up Brooklyn had come up before he shoved that thought down quickly.

Tala cut the engine the second they had pulled up into the drive, sitting there for a minute and turned to Kai but his brother was already out of the car with the door slamming behind him and heading towards their house. Tala let out a sigh, shaking his head.

All he knew was that Kai wanted to come get him, Tala had asked why and wasn't given a reason, just that Kai needed him now and didn't hesitate to go and get him at roughly four thirty in the morning.

The two slipped into the quiet house, Kai going straight for his room where he shut and locked the door behind him before he threw himself down onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow. Sleep taking hold of him quickly and he knew it wasn't going to be a peaceful one.

On the other side of town Ray had booked it to the only place he could think of to go, where he could right the wrongs he had just done. Like Kai the taste and feeling of him lingered on his lips, fueling the burning fire in the pit of his stomach.

He was a fool, a stupid drunken fool, throwing a weight on top of Kai that wasn't his to bear but had done it anyways. If there was ever a time that he truly wanted to die it was now, just to get out of the new hell he had put himself in.

Despite the feelings he held for him it was wrong, it was dangerous and not worth the risk still.

Coming up to the small one-story house he took himself over to Mariah's window and gave it a few hard taps on the cold glass, the light in the room flicking on quickly and there was a slight scuffle inside the room and harsh whispers that Ray couldn't quite hear over the buzz in his head.

Mariah threw her window open, giving him a questioning look as the fear in her eyes seemed to die away as she took him in.

"What're you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack." She asked in a low quiet and harsh whisper.

"Can I come in?" Ray asked, his hands stuffed in the pockets of the jacket Kai had gotten him for his birthday. Underneath were the clothes Max had given him and at least he had the sense to put on his shoes before he had left.

"Yeah, hurry up before you freeze." Mariah said as she moved away, letting him climb in before shutting the window down and turned to him.

Instantly, the moment the window was down, Ray went to her and cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her hard and demanding only to get pushed away. Mariah's nose scrunched up as she gave him a displeasing look.

"You're drunk." She stated, able to taste it on his mouth.

"I am." He stated almost proudly.

"Is that why you're here?" She asked, eyeing him skeptically.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, honestly he didn't really know why he was. He knew he just had to get away and going home hadn't even crossed his mind when he ran.

"Are you here to sleep with me?" Mariah asked him, putting her hands on her hips.

"If you want." Ray shrugged again, to hell with the consequences now.

It wasn't like things were going to get any better for him anyways and she had condoms, what for he wasn't sure since before he had always made it clear that they weren't ever going to.

Mariah looked to be in thought for a moment, any other time she would happily do it but not with him like this.

"I think you should go." She decided on.

Ray shook his head, "I can't."

"Why not?" She almost barked at him.

"I just can't, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to but I can't go back." He explained quietly still shaking his head.

Mariah huffed out at him before her face softened, "Alright, you can sleep on the floor then." She said and started towards her closet where she pulled it halfway open, keeping her body blocking most of it.

"What're you doing?" Came a harsh whisper from inside it.

"Leave when he goes to sleep, unless you want your nose broken again." She warned in her own quiet and harsh whisper as she grabbed down the blankets and an extra pillow.

Shutting the closest door she turned around to Ray still standing there, having removed his jacket and left it on her chair that sat in front of her desk. He turned back to her, looking like a lost and beaten down dog.

"What happened?" She asked in a more caring tone as she laid the blankets down on the floor for him.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ray answered as he toed off his shoes, stepping towards the bed she was making for him.

He got down beside her and she paused what she was doing when he cupped the back of her neck, pulling her into him again for another kiss that she let him have.

"Ray…" She breathed between their lips, her stomach twisting in knots.

"I love you." He told her, pulling away from her.

There was something in his eyes that she didn't recognize, maybe it was the alcohol that made them look that way and she didn't question it. Finishing fixing his 'bed' for the night before taking herself to her own bed, laying down on it and pulling the covers over herself.

Ray laid down, pulling the sheets she had gotten for him around himself as he turned on his side where his back faced her. The light being flicked off, throwing the room in complete darkness, the two lay awake in the stillness of the room.

Throwing her sheets off she got out of bed, going to him on the floor and put a hand on his shoulder that caused him to turn over on his back. Their eyes shining in the darkness until they slipped closed as she leaned down to kiss him, crawling under the sheet with him where she straddled his waist.

"You don't have to." He told her, breaking their kissing for a moment.

"I want to." She told him, kissing him again as she rocked her hips down into him.

The better part of him wanted to push her away while the hurt part of him pulled her into him more, his hands resting over her hips and running them up under her nightshirt.

Like before and all the other times crimson replaced yellow, slate replaced pink and muscles replaced curves. Grinding into her some more and harder as he rested into the floor, his head settling down on the pillow as he let her take over.

* * *

Monday, October 22nd.

"Get up!" Natasha yelled as she slammed a book into the bottom of Kai's feet, jerking him awake.

Kai sat up wanting to fall back down on the bed as his head seared with a terrible pain, holding the side of his head as he pressed his fingers into his temple and groaned.

"That's exactly what you get, you drunk dumbass!" Natasha scorned, watching him with that fire in her eyes.

Kai couldn't get a word in even if he wanted to, the yelling not helping his headache which was no doubt a hangover. How he had one he wasn't sure, he only had two beers the night before.

"What the hell were you thinking coming home at four in the morning? Making your brother get up that late to come pick you up like that?!" Natasha continued in her shouting.

"Because he had to get up so early to get you he was late this morning, as is you are right now!"

Kai's eyes widened at that, he hadn't even heard his alarm going off and quickly snatched up his phone off the bedside table. His heart dropping into the pit of his stomach at the time, he was an hour late for school already.

"Shit." He jumped off his bed, ignoring Natasha's heated stare at the back of his head.

"Do you want to tell the class what the hell happened?!" She asked him as he was in his closest pulling out clothes.

"I don't want to talk about it Ma." He bit back, knowing that was a grave mistake on his part.

Natasha rose a brow at him, looking even more heated at his snippy attitude he had with her. Maybe it was her fault, wondering where she had gone wrong with him. Four years of this she always didn't want to blame him for it, knowing that his past was most of the cause for what he did and why he was the way he turned out to be. Enough was enough though and she knew that.

"This isn't over Kai, when you get home we are sitting down and talking about this. I hope for your sake, you can get through the day with that hangover. Let it really sink in what you're doing to yourself, when I know you are better than this!" She told him before leaving to let him get dressed in privacy.

Kai sighed as she shut the door behind her, letting her words sink in and pierce his heart straight to his soul.

He tossed off the clothes Tyson had given him the night before, quickly dressing in his own and grabbed his backpack off the floor where it sat by his desk. Heading out into the living room where Natasha was waiting for him with her purse tucked under her arm, her car keys spinning angrily around her index finger.

"Let's go." She said in a deep tone, quickly heading towards the front door with Kai right behind her.

The car ride was stiff and uncomfortable, thankful that it wasn't long. Once parked Natasha cut the engine off, turning to Kai sitting beside her and her face softened slightly.

"I hope you know why I am so upset with you right now."

"I do…" Kai nodded, meeting her eyes.

"I am very close to losing my patience with you Kai, but that is because I love you. So please, start making better choices here honey. I don't want to lose you, as I'm sure you don't want to go through everything else again. We have tried, to give you the life you so deserve. Quit trying to ruin it for yourself." She said in a motherly and pleading tone.

"I'm sorry Ma… There's just a lot going on… I'll tell you when I get home, I promise." He told her, getting a nod in return.

"I'll hold you to that, now don't go punching anybody today please." She half joked, getting him to smirk slightly at her.

"I won't, I promise." He said and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek quickly.

"I love you Kai." She told him, holding his arm as he went to pull away.

"Love you too Ma." He gave her a genuine smile before he pulled away and left, shutting the car door behind him.

Natasha sat and watched him head towards the school, starting the car back up once he was safely inside and drove away. Letting him deal with the consequences of being late and what ever else fate had in store for him.

As the bell rang for lunch, having been stuck in the office for the rest of second period, Kai finally emerged and was torn on where to go. Facing the others after disappearing the night before would no doubt have him flooded with questions, not only had he left without a word Ray had bailed out too.

He could lie, they had a fight and both ran off, but then he'd have to think of a lie good enough. The library wasn't an option, not at this point in time. Instead he took himself outside towards the back of the school where Ray had taken him before, shivering slightly in the cold as he sat on the grass with his back against the wall of the gym.

* * *

With a heavy sigh Ray leaned his elbow on the desk, running his fingers through his bangs where he kept his face pressed into his hand. His head was throbbing something awful, having thrown up the second he got home at god knows what time the night before.

Only good thing that came out of everything was that he had stopped himself again, pushing Mariah away at just the right moment and once again did what he always did best; run away.

He hadn't seen her since he got to school, avoiding the others best he could and ignoring their texts that had flooded his phone. He half expected them to come barging in the library at any moment yet they never showed up, and much to his regret but not surprise, Kai didn't either.

Why would he though? Ray hadn't even given him a second look back once they pulled away for the fourth time, having gotten lost in each other to the point Ray couldn't even remember his own name for a minute.

Like the selfish damned fool he was he wanted more, wanted it again, the feeling he had the entire time never left him even hours, a day, later. Every time he closed his eyes he was taken back to that spot and that moment, living it all over again and waking back up with the terrifying reality of it.

He regretted it, starting it up and ending it the way he had. Why he did he wasn't sure, it was what they both wanted, the consequences of it had plagued him and he had cast them aside without a care.

If he saw him he'd apologize, for everything, let him decide what he wanted to do about it but like the coward he was he knew he wasn't going to face him like that. He'd push it down and put that wall back between them, he had to now.

Through is turmoil the bell rang and he logged himself off the computer for the next student, gathering his things quickly and quietly as the Librarian stepped out of his office and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You doing okay Ray?" The man asked in a gentle strong voice.

Ray always liked him, he was a kind hearted man who truly loved his job and his students. He was funny with a great sense of humor and Ray leaned on him when he couldn't stand on his own two feet at times, never giving in great detail but the man was someone Ray felt he could trust with his life.

"I'm fine Mr. Mullins." He said, shifting his bag over his shoulder.

"You seem a bit down, what's going on?" Mullins asked, the older brother of the History teacher.

"Just a lot going on, you know how it gets." Ray said with a shrug of his shoulders, the man's hand still firmly and gently placed on it.

Mullins nodded like he understood, "If you need anything you let me know, alright?" He asked, giving Ray a friendly shake before letting his hand drop back to his side.

"Thank you, I should get going." Ray said, stepping back from him.

"Ray." Mullins called as he reached the door.

Ray turned to face him, his heart sinking in his chest as he watched Mullins motion him to come over again.

Ray obliged quietly, stepping back up to him and Mullins plopped a long white envelope down into his hands. Curiously Ray opened it, revealing two one hundred dollar bills inside it and his mouth went dry.

"I can't take this." He said quickly, trying to hand it back but Mullins had put his hands behind his back.

"Yes, you can. You need it before you get your truck taken from you." Mullins informed.

Ray shook his head despite the tears in his eyes, he had told him last period he was behind on his payment but hadn't told him that because he wanted his money. He was just venting like he always did to him.

"Please sir, I can't…" He choked, closing the envelope and held it out.

"Take it Ray, okay?" Mullins said in a gentle voice, putting his hands back on both of Ray's shoulders. "I know what it's like, so please, just take it and take care of yourself for once."

Ray nodded, his heart clenching on him and he threw his arms around the tall burly man.

"Thank you so much, you don't know how much I needed this." Ray about cried into his chest.

Mullins rubbed his back gently, careful of the scars he knew were there, letting Ray take as long as he wanted until the teen pulled away and wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"Better hurry up before you miss the bell." Mullins said, nodding towards the door.

Ray nodded, putting the envelope into his backpack quickly and hurried towards the door. Throwing it open and giving Mullins a quick look back, giving him a bright smile before leaving and running across the courtyard.

"You almost didn't make it Ray." His English teacher said with a cheeky grin as he entered the classroom, breathing in heavily to refill his lungs from running the length of the school to get to class before the bell rung. Barely missing it by a second.

Kai's entire body tensed as he watched him sit down without a second look in front of him, the anger and guilt with the rest of everything else swirling in his gut the longer he stared at the back of his head.

Ray was very aware of the stares he was receiving, not only from the love of his life but his girlfriend sitting next to him. Doing his best to keep his eyes forward and not shifting uncomfortably in his seat, letting his present from Mullins being the only good thing he could hold onto right now.

Drowning out his teachers lecture Ray took the notes he was tasked, Kai doing the same all the while trying burn a hole into the back of his head until the bell rang. A bit to his surprise Mariah hadn't waited for Ray, leaving him behind in the crowd as Ray gathered his things up and disappeared in the halls.

Kai took his time, dreading next period with Tyson and decided against going. Hell, he was already in deep shit with Natasha, might as well go out with a bang.

He took himself back outside towards the back of the gym, sitting down on the cold damp grass and pulled his jacket around him tighter. Resting his head up against the wall behind him, closing his eyes for a minute as he cleared his head for the time being.

The bell went off, startling him out of his sleep and he got up from the grass and headed back inside. Chilled down to the bone but had become numb to it after a while of being out there, his Russian blood was good for that if anything, and wandered back inside using the back door of the gym to get inside and out before the others had a chance to get in.

Ray would have to get his lock on his own, he didn't care, but even still he did it for him before he took himself to the bathroom stall to change. He was done before the others even stepped foot in the locker room, passing them quickly and quietly with his head down as they filed in. Ray not sparing him a look like he had been all day.

"What's going on between the two of you now?" Tyson asked as they headed towards the side where their lockers sat.

"Nothing Tyson." Ray answered quickly, stepping up to his locker and smiled a little at the lock already undone for him.

"Did you two have a fight?" Max asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Yeah…" Ray breathed as he too started to undress, lucky to not be having a repeat of last week.

Being taken back there without his will he tried to shake it off but it hit him, and it hit him hard. If Kai hadn't done what he had for him he'd be shit out of luck, he knew that, was grateful for it even. It fueled the love he had for him and then took Kai's love and stepped on it, he had done him wrong on so many levels at this point and he wasn't sure how to fix it.

The four of them dressed in silence after that, the collective sounds of their lockers shutting at the same time as they were done and filed back out into the gym.

Mariah stayed away from him, sending him glares in her little circle of friends with Hilary standing beside her. Whispering to each other as they stared at him hard, only for him to ignore them completely and stayed with Tyson and Max as Lee had gone off to some of the other boys in his grade.

"Do we have to beat it out of you?" Tyson asked and Max cringed at the choice of words he used.

Ray blinked, not really having heard anything they were saying to him as his eyes had drifted over at Kai talking with Oliver. An unfamiliar bubble of jealousy rising in his stomach, watching the two talking to each other across the gym.

"What?" He snapped his head back to the two of them, getting a pout from Tyson.

"What the hell happened Saturday? We woke up and you two were just gone, there was a broken glass on my back porch. What happened?" Tyson pressed, not backing down.

"We had a fight Tyson, that's all."

"About what? That you had to break one of my glasses?"

"I'm sorry… I chucked it at his head." Ray lied, trying to think of something to say and fast.

Max's bright blue eyes widened at that, looking almost horrified. Everything had been fine before they went to bed, what on earth could have happened?

"Why would you do that?" Max near enough shrieked out at him.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "He got in my face." That wasn't so much as a lie, but for a very much different reason.

"Ray… It's not like you…"

Ray agreed, the past few weeks, days, wasn't like him at all. What had happened to him all of a sudden? Things were easier when all he had to worry about were his grades, keeping himself alive long enough to see another day, be stupid with his friends and win races for the school.

He could blame Kai, he had tried, but it was his own actions that had brought on this down spiral and him alone. Last night was just the icing on the cake, complete with a cherry on the top.

"I'm sorry about the glass though." Ray directed at Tyson.

"It's fine… But… Are you two going to be okay?" Tyson asked, looking over his shoulder at Kai and Oliver still in conversation.

"I don't know right now." Ray answered, his heart sinking into his stomach as he followed Tyson's gaze towards Kai.

Kai shifted his gaze, locking onto Ray's but there was nothing in his eyes as he looked at him and Ray felt it even across the gym.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked, noticing the staring contest between the two of them.

"Had a fight…" Kai answered, pulling his gaze away.

"Why would you have a fight? I thought you were trying to help him?" Oliver asked, looking horrified like Max had been at the news.

Kai shrugged his shoulders a little, "It happens."

"I didn't expect it to, especially between you two. I know you haven't been here long but I can see it, the bond you two share." Oliver told him, shifting his eyes back towards the rest of the group.

Ray wasn't looking at them anymore, his attention on the other two and Oliver's brows creased.

"Tell me the truth Kai." He turned back to him, giving him a stern look.

Kai blinked at him, wondering how Oliver had seen right through him. It took him a minute to decide, he could walk away and not look back and not care if he did. Then again, it would feel good to talk about it.

(We kissed.) He admitted, going to their own language so listening ears couldn't hear.

Oliver smiled at that, brightly too, before it fell a little. (But Mariah?) His large eyes shifted towards said girl at the very end of the gym.

Kai nodded, shifting where he stood a little before deciding to fold his arms over his chest in his normal pose.

(He ran off on me, haven't talked to him since.) Kai said, leaning his back against the stacked bleachers behind him with his head down, his bangs covering his eyes.

(I don't think she knows… I don't know if Ray will tell her or what's going to happen right now… I can't face him and he won't come talk to me about it.)

(Why don't you be the bigger man here and talk to him? If you love him, then fight for him.) Oliver said.

Kai's head lifted up, choking on his own spit. (Who said I loved him?) He stuttered out, trying to pull his voice level down as it had risen a little.

(You wouldn't have kissed him if you didn't love him, no?) Oliver said as if he was telling him the weather, (Besides, I've seen how you look at him. How you've been protective of him since you two became friends, and if I didn't know any better I'd say he feels the same for you.

(You've only been here less than a month, but the look in his eyes that I see when he's with you is not the same he holds when around Mariah. Even if they have been together a year, it's not the same. What I can tell was he only started dating her because of the pressure from the others, but his heart has never been in it like it should.) Oliver explained to him quietly.

Kai gave it some thought, glancing back over towards Ray and the others. Like all the times before his heart clenched and his stomach dropped. Ray had told him he loved him, it was the best thing he had ever been told in his life and never got the chance to tell him the same as much as he wanted to.

(He made his choice, he ran off.) Kai said in a low breath, trying to hide the hurt within it as he ducked his head back down. Gripping at his arms as he pulled them in closer to his chest.

(Maybe it's too much to take in right now, after last Monday and all? Give him some time, he might come around. And really, with people like Johnny in this school I don't blame him for not coming out.)

(It doesn't matter.) Kai said, his voice getting lower on him.

(I think it does, look at me. Rejected and abandoned by people I've known my entire life. I may not have what I wanted because he doesn't feel the same for me, but you could have what I can't. He loves you and you love him, just give him some time.) Oliver said and put a hand on Kai's shoulder.

(Come to my party this Saturday, you'll feel better.)

Kai shook his head as a smirk came to his lips, of course it was back to that damn party.

(I'll think about it.)

Oliver seemed to beam at that, patting Kai's shoulder before he dropped his hand back to his side.

(Here, give me your number so we can stay in touch. I'm always here if you need me, just as you've been there for me.) Oliver said, handing his phone out to him.

Kai took it, quickly adding his number in before handing it back and put his arms back around himself.

The two stood there quietly for the rest of the period, Oliver watching everyone do something to keep themselves occupied until the bell rang. He stepped forward in order to go change though paused when Kai hadn't moved from against the bleachers.

(You can't avoid them forever Kai.) He told him in that same gentle tone, stepping away from him and following the others into the locker room.

Kai knew he couldn't but at least he could try.

He gave it a few more minutes, watching the last of the stragglers going in before peeling his back away from the bleachers and walked in behind them. When he rounded the corner where his locker sat Ray was fighting with is lock to get it open, the others watching carefully and quietly over their shoulders as they changed into their normal clothes.

Like the last Monday he had with him Kai stepped up, his stomach twisting in knots as he moved Ray away without touching him as he stepped up to his locker. Quickly setting in the combination until the lock popped open, moving away from him just as quickly as he had stepped up and went to his own.

Ray didn't say anything, barely looking at him as he pulled his locker open and pulled out his clothes and took them to the bathroom stall to change for the first time.

Kai followed suit, ignoring the others like he had been all day and took the farthest stall away from the one Ray had took. Not coming out until the locker room was empty, everyone gone now, and stuffed his clothes in his locker before leaving.

Outside Natasha sat in her car waiting for him, making a bee-line for it he got in and put a hand to his forehead as he felt like he could properly breathe for the first time that day. Natasha watching him quietly and with concern in her eyes, reaching over and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Mom…" He breathed out heavily, on the verge of tears that were coming out of nowhere.

"What's the matter love?" She cooed, rubbing his back gently as he trembled under her touch.

"I screwed up…" He choked, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Let's get you home, then we'll talk." Natasha said, hoping to calm him down and put the car in reverse before he set himself off.

Back home in his room he sat on the edge of his bed, Natasha beside him rubbing his back waiting for him to open up to her. Never did she like seeing her boys like this, knowing she had comforted the both of them like this on many occasions before.

"Tell me what's the matter Kai." She started in that sweet motherly tone, bringing the tears he had kept at bay on the way home to spring instantly to his eyes.

"I… I kissed him…" He choked out, Natasha's eyes going slightly wide as she didn't have to take many guesses on who he was talking about.

"And what happened?"

"He ran off…" Kai breathed heavily, the anger almost overpowering the hurt this time.

"Maybe it's just not the right time?"

Kai looked up at her, seeing it in her eyes that she knew. How she did he wasn't sure, he knew Tala had only told Bryan and no one else. He had sworn he wouldn't.

"Micah and I are looking into a way to help him right now, we didn't want to tell the two of you because we didn't want him thinking you had told us. But leaving that blood soaked cloth in my trash can when he was over here last week wasn't a good way to inform us, I thought something terrible happened to you or Tala…" She explained, seeing the question in his eyes that he couldn't force out of himself.

"Tala eventually told me what's going on, down to every last detail. He said that Ray promised to tell someone soon and when he does we'll be there to help him."

Kai's tear filled eyes widened, how he had ended up in such a loving and caring home he would never know. They certainty didn't deserve what he put them through the past two years, he didn't deserve them.

"I don't want you to tell him, especially after this now, let him do what he always does and come to you when he's ready."

"I don't even know if he will at this point, he asked me to and I knew I shouldn't have but I did anyways." Kai said, shaking his head. Feeling more of a fool than anything else.

"We all do crazy and sometimes stupid things Kai, it doesn't always mean things are broken beyond repair." Natasha comforted, rubbing his back again.

Kai nodded, "How do I fix this?!" His voice strained out.

"He lives right next door honey, go and talk to him."

Kai shook his head almost violently, "No… No I can't…"

That thought alone made his throat clench up, how could he look Ray in the eye after the night before? It was his fault, he should have walked away regardless of Ray's pleas. He tugged on the collar of his shirt, feeling like it was fixing to choke him. Natasha noticed and kept her hand on his back. If he didn't calm down he was going to have another attack.

Natasha sighed, "Then I don't know honey, it's not the end of the world though darling. Things will fall back into place." She rubbed his back some more, letting a silence come over them.

"You'll figure this out, you always do and you know we're here for the both of you." Natasha placed a kiss on the top of his head before pulling away from him, looking over him as he seemed to be settling down some.

Taking in large gulps of air to refill his lungs, breathing heavily as the hold on his shirt loosened. Making sure he would be okay Natasha got up and left him, giving him some space and time to think about it.

Kai had lost track of time for how long he just sat there, falling deeper and deeper in his own pity and broken heart. He had never felt something like this before, what Brooklyn had done to him hurt but not like this. He couldn't even call what he felt for Brooklyn love, not the same kind he held for Ray. He had never cared for someone so deeply before, wanting to protect them with every fiber of his being like he had been.

His door opened and it brought him out of his thoughts, looking up and meeting Tala's soft blue eyes as he stood in the door way with the door closed behind him.

"Oh Skittles…" He breathed out, stepping up to him where he put his arms around his brothers neck and pulled him in close.

"It's going to be okay." That was all the confirmation Kai needed to know that Natasha had told him, he wasn't angry though.

Kai held onto him tightly, burying his face in Tala's chest as tears ran down his cheeks.

"How?" He sobbed out, his fingers digging into the back of Tala's shirt.

"You'll see, it will be." Tala said as he finally pulled away, getting down in front of him as he held his hands in his.

"Let's go to that party this weekend, you Bryan and me."

Kai cocked a brow, "How do you know about that?" He asked, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his arm.

"Apparently it's an annual thing this kid does, invites the college kids too. Thought it might be fun." Tala said with a slight shrug.

"I'm not really in the mood… Not after what happened last night…"

"So don't drink, just come and have fun." Tala said, trying to sound excited. "And hey, if you do drink the more fun you'll have."

Kai rolled his eyes, "I don't think mom and dad will be very happy if we came home drunk off our asses. Not to mention if Bryan does come with us, I highly doubt he'll tolerate underage drinking."

"He would if he was on duty." Tala said with a slight smirk, "We know how to live a little, you should too." He nudged him in the arm a little.

Kai rolled his eyes again, "If you think it'll help…"

"You never know, it could."

Kai scoffed, he highly doubted that. He had a whole week to get through and all he could see it doing to him was dragging him down further.

"Alright…" He conceded, getting his brother to give him that wolfish grin of his.

"Great!" He bounced up from where he stood, hands on his hips. "Now, no more sulking. The great Kai Hiwatari doesn't sulk."

Kai scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Since when have I become the 'Great' Kai Hiwatari?"

"You always have been, you just make stupid mistakes at times." Tala said, ruffling his two-toned hair a little, getting his arm smacked away in the process.

"Count on you not to be subtle."

"You love me for it." Tala said, that wolfish grin still plastered to his face.

"I don't think you ever gave me a choice in the matter."

"Hmmmm, nope." Tala smirked down at him, "Love me for that too."

"I do." Kai chuckled, despite the teasing his mood was already lifting.

He really could count on Tala to lift his spirits up from wherever he pulled them down to, and he loved him for it every time.

Tala ruffled his hair some more before taking his leave, letting Kai have some actual privacy again.

Kai pulled out his phone, going to Oliver's message he had received after school.

{I'll be there.}

* * *

 **Do ya'll hate me?! I hate me... But I couldn't help myself. Will see ya'll Monday! Hope you have a good weekend, I will try to have a good one. Stupid weather is actin up though, so we'll see what happens.  
Until next time everybody!  
**


	22. Hocus Pocus

**Welcome back guys! Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews, I thought I was being sneaky here but ya'll guessed it! Congrats!**

 **Not much to say really, Ch 28 is done and ready and I'll try to work on 29 here soon enough but I really feel the burn out creepin up on me with this one.**

 **Roy helped me with the dialogue between Oliver and Enrique near the end here, she was Oliver while I was Enrique.  
**

 **I think that's about it, thank you all again! I love you all, seriously I do. See you Wednesday!**

* * *

Ch 22- Hocus Pocus. Saturday, October 27th.

Kai fiddled with the sleeves of his leather jacket, sitting in the back seat of Tala's car as he drove them into the better part of town. Walls and large metal gates bordered the impressive homes that lined the streets, the hedges perfectly trimmed and the grass a healthy vibrant green. There were small rolling hills until they pulled down a long street where at the very end, taking up the entire cul-de-sac, was Oliver's mansion.

The gate to the drive was left wide open, cars were lined behind one another around the circle of the street while others had crammed into the red bricked driveway.

"Well shit." Tala chuckled as he pulled up behind the line of cars on the right side of the street, cutting the engine off and trying to take everything in.

"I didn't realize we were rolling up to the King of Spain's castle." He said, blue eyes still wide.

"He's French…" Kai commented from the back, shifting in his seat some more. Wondering how the hell he had actually been pulled out of the house to come here.

After Monday and the shit week he had he really didn't feel like coming after all, regardless of what he had told Oliver before. Tala was relentless, not letting him back out of it. Natasha and Micah gave him permission to enjoy himself, trusting Tala to keep an eye on him. Knowing his brother though, Kai knew the second Tala got in there he wouldn't see him until it was time for them to leave.

"Let's go then." Bryan finally broke his boyfriends staring, opening his door and getting out before Tala could get a word in and it wasn't like he had any at the moment. Still staring at the mansion.

Kai was the next to get out, quickly standing beside Bryan as Tala finally pulled himself out of his car. Eyes still locked on everything until he finally turned his head over his shoulder, meeting Bryan's eyes over the top of his car.

"I think I'm going to marry Oliver instead, you can have your ring back."

Bryan just shook his head, "I haven't even given you a ring yet." He retorted in a bored voice.

Tala's mouth lifted into his wolfish-grin, his blue eyes lighting up with amusement. "So you do have one." He said matter of factly.

Bryan didn't look fazed, he knew the game Tala was playing with him but he was better at it than his boyfriend.

"Whatever Ian told you last week is a lie; besides why would I want to marry you when I can marry Oliver and have this?" He shot back playfully, motioning towards the mansion.

Tala's grin got swiped right off his face, pouting slightly at the two of them since Kai wanted to snicker a little at the remark.

"Why would he want to marry you, you asshole." Tala shot back before storming off away from them, swaying his hips just to get Bryan's attention on his fine ass.

"Think you pissed him off there." Kai said dryly.

Bryan shrugged, "Makes the sex better." He said and started after his hot headed boyfriend, eyes exactly where Tala wanted them to be.

Kai cringed and died a little on the inside at that before rolling his eyes, following after the two of them with his hands stuffed tightly in his jacket pockets.

There were hoards of other kids, all decked out in costumes per Oliver's instructions. Tala had even gone to the lengths of dressing up, what or who he was Bryan and Kai couldn't tell.

Tala wore a black leather vest that he left open halfway to show off the fishnet shirt underneath, long black fingerless gloves reached his elbows and set with tight leather black pants that made it look like it would be very uncomfortable to sit down in. To top it all off he had bought a black wig, which clashed terribly with his pale skin and red eyebrows. A black collar around his neck with three inch spikes, and platform boots that looked like they came from a goth kids closest finished off the look. Tala had also taken his eyeliner and done up his eyes, while also painting on a mustache and a bit of 'hair' under his bottom lip and along his jawline.

Bryan had asked him who he was and Tala didn't answer, looking offended, while having blared every Adam Lambert song he had on the drive over.

As the sun was going down the streetlamps were coming on with the houses flood lights, making it glow like a large white diamond.

Through the gates there was a three car garage, to the left a large marble three tiered water fountain with marble benches around it where some people had already made that their designated smoking area. The front door was covered by an overhang being held up by marble pillars, white railing ran around it to block it off from everything else while the redbrick of the driveway bled into the oval shaped space. A decent sized chandelier hung over front door, having turned on when the rest of the lights outside had and made it really hit Kai hard; Oliver was fucking loaded.

Voltaire had wealth but against his personal beliefs he never flaunted it like this, what Kai had grew up in was nothing to sneeze at either but Oliver's home was really something else.

Inside was no better, bright white and marble everything as far as the eye could see. It was a bit overwhelming, the noise from every which way hitting him and the strong smell of booze and pot making him a little dizzy. He had already lost sight of Tala and Bryan, he thought about going back to the car and wait but it was too cold to wait that long and so he pressed through the others still coming in and going out.

In the large open foyer the stairs sat to the left of the front door, while a door made of glass sat to the right of it, opening out to the covered walkway that led to the garage. There were two back doors across from the front door and around the wall the stairs sat against was a walk way that led into the main sitting room and the large kitchen. There was an even bigger chandelier that hung above the open space of the second floor, the railings above him looked like they could be made of real gold.

Kai tried to take it all in, he didn't need to get lost, and the longer he stood there in the center of the walk way, seeing other people he knew from school barely giving him a passing glance, the more he felt alone.

Seeking out the others was not on his list of things to do, not after the week of avoiding them to the point he was cutting classes. When he did go the questions never stopped, the concerned looks never left the back of his head and he was sick of it.

Kai would have been fine without him, having done what they did or any of it. He thought he would have been content with Ray as a close friend, his best friend, but he missed him too. He missed everything about him, the way he made him feel and the extra reassurance he got from him when he needed it, that no doubt Ray got from him just the same.

He lost countless hours of sleep from not knowing what was going on with him now, the absences were tallying up more and he could only hope and pray it was because Ray just couldn't stand to be around him right now instead of the other. He wanted to know, but like the stubborn ass that he was, he wasn't going to ask him.

If Ray wanted him to know he'd tell him, they still had each other's numbers after all and lived right beside each other. He had lost track of all the times he had brought up Ray's number to call or text him in the middle of the night, only to put his phone down and stay awake until morning.

He took himself over to the island in the center of the kitchen that seemed at least a good twelve feet where the wide range of alcohol sat, some others dressed up in their costumes taking up the stools that sat on the outside of it island in conversation.

Kai moved to the other side, eyes scanning over labels upon labels and honestly couldn't find one he wanted or even felt like wanting. Through the windows that lined the wall across from where he stood he could see outback, where the majority of everyone was.

Everywhere he could turn there was another familiar face from school, if they didn't have a mask on, and feeling like the walls were closing in on him he quickly took himself towards the stairs before he couldn't breathe.

Upstairs was no better, it was louder with a karaoke machine going off in one room and the sounds of a game through another. There weren't as many people on the landing though and for that he was thankful, tugging at the front of his shirt out of habit as he tried to calm his breathing.

This was too much and Tala had up and ditched him, he didn't even know where to start looking for him either without running the risk of getting lost. Downstairs wasn't bad but now on the second floor there were halls to either side of him, doors on opposite sides and another glass door that led to another covered balcony that went outside towards the garage.

He went ahead and just bit the bullet, taking the first hall on his right at the top of the stairs, spotting a door at the end where no sound was coming from and he walked towards it. Without knocking just threw it open and quickly shut it behind him where he kept his back pressed to it.

"Kai?"

Kai blinked, trying to still his racing heart and breathe again. He hated this and now there was Oliver standing in the middle of the room, at the end of a large canopy bed, staring at him with wide eyes.

Quickly he got a better look of the room, no doubt Oliver's bedroom and cursed his luck. At least he hadn't walked in on something worse, and Oliver was dressed in his costume instead of either in the process of dressing.

He looked like he was trying to pull off an angel, complete with a little fuzzy sliver halo attached to a wire, though the halo was slightly tilted off to the side as if it was fixing to fall off his head and he was missing one of his wings.

"Kai, are you okay?" Oliver asked as he rushed towards him, seeing an unfamiliar look in his eyes.

Kai nodded, heaving in heavily as he fought himself not to lose it right there in front of him. Oliver didn't look like he was fooled, gently taking Kai's hand that wasn't currently trying to pull his shirt away from his neck and led him towards his bed where he made him sit before disappearing behind another door by the right corner of the room.

Kai did everything he could to get himself to calm down, he knew he was safe and what was worse was that this had never happened to him like this. Voltaire always set it off, he never had to worry about it during his day to day life, so why did it decide to get the jump on him and now of all times?!

"Here, drink this if you can." Oliver said, having come back from what Kai figured was the bathroom with a glass of water held out to him.

Kai eyed it, unable to find his voice as his throat clenched up. Only able to shake his head almost violently at him, one hand on his shirt and the other gripping at the sheets on Oliver's bed.

Oliver frowned again, setting the glass of water he had brought onto his bedside table, kneeling down in front of him and put his hands on his knees.

"It's okay Kai, you're safe here. Just breathe a little bit for me, will you?" Oliver asked in a calm soothing voice, patting his knees gently.

Kai took in a heavy shaky breath though it didn't help, and his hands went to the zipper of his jacket but they too were shaking and he couldn't get a good hold on it.

Oliver sat up a little and pushed through Kai's shaking hands to get to the zipper, getting it down for him and helping him to get the jacket off.

"Is that better?" Oliver asked, folding the jacket and setting it near the end of his bed.

Kai nodded for a second before he shook his head no, "I… I don't know…" He got out.

"It's okay, these things happen." Oliver told him, patting his knees again as he took back up the spot on the floor in front of him. "Just talk to me some more."

"Bout what?" Kai bit out in a shaky voice, trying not to roll his eyes at the look Oliver had in his. Like he was already patting himself on the back for helping him.

"Well… I've missed you this week. You weren't at classes much, are you and…" He stopped himself, unsure if he should mention Ray at all.

He didn't know if that was what set this off to begin with, maybe they had already crossed paths since Ray had been there for about two hours already. It was only a matter of time if they hadn't yet, Oliver knew that, but if he knew Kai would have been thrown into a panic attack he wouldn't have done this at all.

"No." Kai said through a breath, his voice coming back to him as his shaking started to subside.

"No?" Oliver asked, seeing the change coming into Kai's face already.

"We haven't… Haven't talked…"

"He wasn't at school either… The others have tried to make sure he's alright but nobody has heard from him." Oliver explained, but the worry in his voice wasn't there since Ray had shown up and looked fine.

Kai didn't know what to say to that, but he could feel the worse was fixing to be over soon and kept up the conversation by clearing his throat a little.

"Is he here?" He got out a full sentence that time making Oliver's smile come back.

"He is… Last I saw he was outside on the balcony with Lee and the others at the dance floor."

Kai rolled his eyes, of course there was a dance floor at this expensive hell hole.

"Complete with a DJ, I assume?" Kai asked sarcastically.

Oliver's eyes sparkled, "Of course, only the best for everyone here." He said a bit smugly, making his point pretty clear. He was a filthy rich little bastard.

"And fog machines and laser lights." He added, getting another eye roll.

Kai went quiet after that, feeling the attack leave him and he could properly breathe easier. Slumping forward slightly from the drain it had left him in, running a hand up through his bangs and pulling them back from his slightly dampened forehead.

"Best not to go out there, you can stay in here if you like." Oliver said as he stood up, seeing it was done now and sat down beside him.

"It's fine, I didn't mean to just come in here without knocking." Kai said, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad you found me because I wanted to talk to you a little." Oliver said almost happily, getting a quirked brow.

"You can stop me at any point, I don't wish to make this harder on you." Oliver started, getting the nod to continue and inhaled heavily as if he was fixing to make a two hour speech.

"Why haven't you talked to him? You know nothing is going to get better until one of you step up, and it may as well be you at this point. Don't do what Enrique has done to me, it's unfair to him and yourself. You two don't deserve this, you know that." Oliver said more firmly, keeping his eyes locked with Kai's as he spoke.

"You're skipping classes now, and he's just not coming in at all. You're ruining each other without even realizing it, on top of pulling your friends apart with all of this."

"If he wanted to talk he's had every chance to, he lives right next door!" Kai shot back, the embarrassment now gone and replaced with anger.

"And what if he can't? You know better than any of us here what he goes through over there, did you ever stop to think about that? What kind of man his uncle must be, that he may have a better reason not to come to you than you to him?" Oliver matched Kai's tone, giving him a harder look.

He was prepared to sit there all night and beat it into him if that's what Kai was going to make him do.

Kai paused for a minute, letting his anger dissolve into the worry he always had for Ray being over there. Natasha and Micah were still looking into ways of helping him get out once he stepped up and told someone, he wanted to be there for him when that happened but after everything he couldn't see himself being that person anymore.

"You can't put two broken people together and hope everything will be fine." Kai breathed out, finally letting Ray's words cement into his brain instead of fighting it like he had been the moment Ray had said that to him.

"And why not?" Oliver asked, not looking pleased with what Kai had just said. "I know plenty of 'broken' people and they normally attract the same kind, and they're there for each other. No matter what. They can take their pain and put it together and fight through it together, that doesn't always mean things will be great but it's better than letting that pain seep into more."

Kai scoffed at him, "How would you know any 'broken' people?" He bit at him.

Oliver didn't look fazed, "Oh, so because my family has money you think I stand above the rest of the world? That I haven't seen my fair share of problems? Having money breeds different kinds of problems, just like not having enough does. We can't change the cards we are dealt with at birth, it's what we do with those cards that determines where we go in life. Just because I live in this now doesn't mean I always will, just like Ray living where he is now won't be his final destination either."

Kai agreed even if he didn't want to, he had gotten out of what he had been given. Feeling more like an idiot he nodded sheepishly at Oliver, he may not live in it now but he came from money too. He knew the kinds of problems it could breed and being in all different kinds of homes in the past, before he ended up with the Ivanov's, he saw the struggles of not having enough first hand. Even still he saw it with them too, they had enough to get them by but sometimes things got hard on them.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, there's a lot going on here right now. I'm just trying to help because I don't like this, it's hitting too close to home right now for myself and I don't want to think that what has happened with me is the same end for the two of you." Oliver said as he put a hand on Kai's shoulder, giving it a little friendly squeeze.

"Why haven't you talked to him?" Kai found himself asking, mainly because he wanted to shift the conversation off of himself.

"I have." Oliver said proudly, "He's coming tonight, said we'll be able to talk without the others around since I didn't invite them this year."

"That's… Good…" Was all he could think of to say.

If the two of them could get through almost a month of not speaking to each other, then surely he and Ray could get their own shit together after just one week.

"It is, doesn't mean I'll have the outcome I want but at least he's giving me a chance. And that's what you should be giving yourselves."

Kai nodded, not liking the idea any more than he already did. What was there even to say at this point? Ray knew, had known all along how he felt about him and he got Ray's own declaration so what else was there to do about it? He ran off.

"I've been meaning to ask, but can I do something with your hair?" Oliver asked, literally out of the blue and Kai blinked at him a few times.

"Excuse me?" He choked out.

"I've always wanted to do something with it, it's so unique." Oliver seemed to gush out.

"What's wrong with the way it is?" Kai growled back.

He hadn't done anything with it again, just letting it fall where it lay after he brushed it before they had left.

"Nothing really… Just… Let me do something with it, I won't do anything bad." Oliver practically begged.

Kai went quiet, not what he had been expecting but if it kept him in there longer than why the hell not?

"Fine…"

Oliver's eyes sparkled brighter and before Kai could change his mind Oliver was already in the bathroom to get the things he'd need. Kai cringed and died a little more inside as he watched Oliver come back with two makeup boxes, one in each hand, and sat them down on the floor by his feet.

"You're not putting makeup on me." Kai warned in a deadly tone, eyeing the boxes on the floor.

"Oh I'm not, these boxes are hair products only. I left my makeup kits in the bathroom." Oliver said as he opened one up and dug out his brush, "Just close your eyes and it'll be over faster than you know it."

* * *

Ray stood near the opened door of the TV room, chuckling quietly to himself as he watched Max and Tyson belting out the lyrics to Uptown Funk, in all the wrong notes.

There was a decent sized crowd in the room, having come back in from being outside on the dance floor for the past half hour he needed to come in and warm up from the cold of the night. Lee had decided to stay out, finding some random college girl to dance with.

After the week he had the others had finally stopped their hounding questions, realizing they weren't getting anywhere with him and just decided to enjoy the night while they could. It was almost like nothing was even going on with how the younger two had been, greeting him at the front door when he arrived with sloppy grins and excitement beaming in their eyes.

Unlike the two of them, who had followed Oliver's dress code, he came in plain clothes and his hair pulled back in a half up half down style, with a small braid on the left side of his face. Because it was colder out, and he really did like it, he had worn the jacket Kai had gotten him for his birthday and so far it had been doing it's job at keeping him warmer when outside.

Eventually the song had ended and he was grateful that he had been able to block most of their singing out, his heart stopping a little as he watched them pick a new song and that was all he could take. Slipping out of the TV room just in time as their new choice in music started to play, the small crowd that had been listening to them getting riled up again at the next performance about to get underway.

With really nowhere else to go Ray wandered back through the maze of hallways to the back second floor balcony where he had left Lee, he could stomach watching him try and get it on with a college girl more than he could listen to Tyson and Max sing.

Right where he left him Lee actually pulled himself away from the college girl, meeting Ray near the railing of the balcony where they overlooked the side yard where the pool sat. How or why people thought it would be a good idea to swim in this weather was beyond the both of them, even if they knew it was heated.

As Lee had stepped up beside him he could smell the booze seeping off of him, stepping to the side a little since it was almost nauseating. Lee didn't look like he cared or noticed it all that much, throwing an arm around Ray's shoulders as they quietly watched the people below them.

"Kai's here…" Ray said under his breath, watching Tala and Bryan wander through the crowd down by the pool.

Lee started to chuckle as Bryan picked up Tala almost effortlessly, recognizing the red head from Kai's first day at school when he had picked him up.

"That's his brother, right?" Lee asked.

"Yeah… Tala." Ray answered, eyes going slightly wide as Bryan chucked Tala into the pool.

"Whose that guy?" Lee asked, holding back a laugh at the poor sob.

They couldn't quite hear what colorful words Ray no doubt knew Tala was slinging at Bryan at that moment, over the loud music behind them, but Ray was laughing all the same.

"Bryan, his boyfriend." Ray slipped.

Lee's hold on Ray's shoulder got slack, "Ew."

Ray shifted uncomfortably under Lee's arm, he always had his suspicions on how Lee viewed relationships like that but had hoped that he was wrong. That alone was confirmation enough though, he'd lose him to it seemed. Not wanting to get into a fight with him about it right now, especially with him drunk, Ray kept his mouth closed.

Lee laughed again, despite his feelings on the twos relationship, he couldn't get enough of the show they were putting on down there. Tala had gotten out of the pool sopping wet, his black wig floating on the top of the water and had tried to shove Bryan in but got pulled in with him instead.

"Hey, I have something I wanted to talk to you about." Lee said, pulling his eyes away as the two in the pool became lip locked.

"Okay." Ray said, shifting his eyes away as well and turned to look at Lee.

"Next time you come over, don't be so loud. Have some respect for me, you know because she is my sister an all." Lee said, trying his best not to stumble over his words.

Ray's nose scrunched up at the smell of alcohol on his breath before his eyes narrowed at him.

"What're you talking about?" He asked, blinking a few times.

"You. Mariah. Sex." Lee spelt it out for him.

Ray cocked a brow, his stomach tightening on him. "When?" He played along.

"Last weekend, decided to come over after all huh?" Lee laughed a little, pulling Ray closer to him. "Bout damn time you did something, was starting to get worried about the two of you."

Ray just continued to stare, the knot in his stomach making him want to puke. That wasn't possible, how could it be? He had pushed her off of him and ran, again, they hadn't even gotten either of them partially undressed.

"Seriously though, because she _is_ my baby sister. Keep it toned down a notch, I mean. Our parents were home too, so keep that in mind next time huh?" Lee said as he nudged him again.

Ray just nodded dumbly, thousands of questions running through his head more than answers. It was more of a sick joke, least he thought, a good slap to the face from good ol' karma herself for what he had done with Kai.

"I'm gonna head in, getting cold." Ray said, removing Lee's arm from around his neck and stepped back.

"Okay, I'm gonna get lucky." Lee slurred and Ray fought himself from rolling his eyes at him. "Like you finally did!" Lee added dumbly.

"Yeah…" Ray smirked at him a little, not even putting any effort behind it and it fell just as quickly as it appeared.

He took himself back inside, storming down the hall as he nervously bit into his lower lip. He made a turn towards the TV room to tell the others he was leaving, their singing still going strong and stopped. If he told them he was leaving they'd ask why, he'd have to tell them and he didn't want to do that right now. Not without all the evidence at least, but what more did he really need?

"Ray!" Enrique's voice called from behind him and Ray spun to face him, looking like he had seen a ghost.

"Hey, have you seen Oliver I can't find him."

Ray's back tensed, the last thing any of them needed was Enrique and the others coming in and ruining Oliver's party.

"Why the hell are you here?" He bit at him, letting his frustrations out on Enrique, not that he didn't deserve it though.

"Oliver invited me." Enrique said in a calm voice, seeing that Ray was clearly out for blood.

"Look, I know that what's been going on between Oliver and I is a bit strange and how I handled it was completely wrong of me. He asked me to come, the other two aren't here, so we can talk." Enrique explained, holding his hands up.

"What's so strange about it? Yeah, you were a fucking dick just like the other two for not even saying anything to him. Just dropping and throwing him away like trash, and then avoiding him completely since it all came out!" Ray reeled on him, everything he said he could have easily looked into a mirror and said to himself because it was the same damn thing he had done.

"I know… I know what I did was wrong. I just needed some time to think about it, really think about it. I mean, I don't think you of all people would know what it's like to hide who you are around your friends and family. But I had to." Enrique explained and it was really like Ray was staring into a mirror now.

"No you didn't, you took the easy way out. Running off on him when he needed you the most, you didn't have to do anything more than just be there for him! He needed you, not just your love but your friendship!" Ray argued back, half talking to himself and half talking to Enrique.

Enrique rose a brow, he knew Ray and the others who had taken Oliver in weren't very happy with him for what he had done but he didn't realize that their anger was this deep.

"Ray, please. That's why I'm here, to talk it out with him. Because I do love him, I really do. I just… I couldn't, wasn't ready, to come out. I know you don't know what that means, not really, but please know that when I say that I didn't mean for it to drag out as long as it did that I _mean_ it."

Ray took in Enrique's words and the look in his eyes, he looked just how Ray felt. If not worse because it had taken this long for them, when for him it was just a week.

"I haven't seen him since I got here." Ray told him, his voice lowering to his usual tone.

"Apparently nobody has…" Enrique sighed, "I guess I'll check his room." He shrugged his shoulders, it should have been the first place to look but he was expecting Oliver outside greeting him instead.

As Enrique stepped past Ray he caught his arm, halting Enrique beside him who gave him a questioning look.

"Don't hurt him again, because I do know what it's like." Ray said, letting Enrique's arm go.

Enrique rose a brow, blinking at him a few times but closed his mouth and held back his questions. Now wasn't the time, he had his own problems to worry about.

"Then you know how sorry I feel, and I hope only the best for you." Enrique said in a friendly tone, putting a hand on Ray's shoulder.

Ray scoffed, "Thanks… I'll need it."

"Don't we all." Enrique said, pulling his hand back and continued towards Oliver's room.

Ray took himself to the door closest to him, opening it up to the office. He shut the door behind him, breathing out heavily against the door before he peeled his back away and sat down on the couch to the left of the door. Putting his head in his hands, letting everything crash on him like he knew it would.

"Oliver, you in here?" Enrique asked as he opened the door, stepping in before freezing.

Oliver pulled away from Kai, eyes wide and alight that Enrique had shown up after all.

"You came." He near enough cried.

Kai's face burned, his embarrassment levels skyrocketing to never before heights.

"I'm not interrupting something… Am I?" Enrique asked, glancing between Oliver and Kai sitting on the side of the bed beside each other.

"Not at all, it's not what it looks like Enrique." Oliver quickly said, getting up from his spot on the bed to pull Enrique in the room with him.

"Then what is it?" Enrique asked, Kai not missing the jealousy in his tone or the heated look he was now getting.

"A simple _friendly_ kiss on the cheek, nothing more I assure you. I'm not his type." Oliver chuckled.

Kai snorted, Oliver was very right. Although the kiss had left him off guard it wasn't unwelcomed, though Enrique was still staring at him angrily and he decided it was time to let the two have at it.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kai had thought about saying that in French but decided against it, he didn't need Enrique feeling like he was the competition.

"Okay, thank you Kai. And good luck." Oliver said, giving him a bright smile as Kai got off the bed and pulled his jacket back on.

Enrique quirked a brow at that, that sounded a little too much like what he had said to Ray no more than a few minutes ago. He knew, the whole damn school knew, the two of them had a falling out but nobody knew why. The question was there at the tip of his tongue and he held it in until Kai had left them, not looking at them on his way out. The second the door shut Enrique turned back to face Oliver, their hands still held together.

"Kai and Ray?" He let it slip out, not wanting to dance around the issue at all.

Oliver gave him a questioning look, fighting back the smile. "What're you talking about?"

"Don't give me that look, because you just answered my question." Enrique chuckled, his thumbs rubbing over the back of Oliver's hands.

"You always could read me like an open book." Oliver said, his tone holding a light fondness to it and looked away from him, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

Enrique let go of Oliver's left hand, using his right, he put his fingers under his chin and lifted his head back to where they were staring right at each other again.

"I always could." He confirmed with a small smile, getting one in return. "Because I love you."

Oliver's eyes sparkled again, tears coming to his eyes. He wiped them away with his free hand before he put it on Enrique's chest and shoved him back, their hands breaking apart. Putting his hands on his hips he glared at Enrique with all the intensity of a stuffed animal.

"Oh no you don't Enrique Tornatore, you don't have the right to just come in here and say that first thing!" Oliver scorned.

"I'm sorry?" Enrique said instead, not fazed by the outburst since he was used to them.

"I don't think sorry really cuts it here, wouldn't you say?" Oliver said as he narrowed his eyes at him, sticking his nose up in the air.

(My love.) Enrique tried in his native tongue, knowing that Oliver always liked it.

"Don't you 'my love' me, your pretty words have no effect on me."

"Then what do you want me to do?" Enrique sighed, sending out more good wishes towards the other two who had ended up in the same predicament he was currently in.

Oliver opened his mouth only for it to fall close on him again, what did he want Enrique to do? The hurt he had felt and the betrayal, was there even a thing he _could_ do to fix it?

"I... I don't know..." Oliver said as he felt tears prick at his eyes, "Is this real though?" He asked as he looked back over at him, having moved away from looking at him earlier as he got lost in his thoughts.

"If you'll still have me?" Enrique said.

Oliver's watering eyes narrowed. "And give me one reason why I should." He bit at him curtly, feeling proud he didn't just throw himself at him like he wanted to deep down.

"I don't have a reason good enough, not after everything I put you through." Enrique started, his voice cracking. "You know what my parents are like, what Johnny's father is like... I know I shouldn't have just abandoned you to deal with this on your own and for that I am truly sorry. I just needed time."

Oliver's eyes softened against his will. He shouldn't have, but he did know what the families were like...

"And what's to say you won't just leave me in the firing line again?"

"I let them take me off the will, they've given me a grace period of a year to get out when I turn eighteen." Enrique explain, the waver in his voice gone. "They don't have the power over me like they wanted anymore, and I did it so I could be with you."

Oliver felt his stomach drop and his chest tighten. He did that? For him? His head went to war with itself. Even so, he abandoned him. He couldn't just _forgive_ that so easily. But on the other hand... Everyone made mistakes. And he missed him...

His feet carried him closer towards him while he debated it all. "You did...?" His voice trembled.

"I did... Because I don't want to hide it anymore Oliver." He said, taking up his hands again now that he was closer.

Holding them gently and felt the weight of them, he had missed the familiar shock he got whenever they touched.

"I have always loved you. I'm so sorry that I didn't have the guts to tell you first." Enrique said, holding Oliver's eyes with his so he could judge for himself.

His knees went weak as he looked back in to his apologetic and sincere eyes. The stubborn part of him was still searching for comebacks and excuses, but the rest of him couldn't care less about all that. The rest of him cared about what had just come out his mouth. He inched closer, guiding Enrique's hands around his waist before shaking his own round his neck.

"Promise me you won't hurt me like that again..." He begged quietly as his face inched closer to his.

"I promise." Enrique confirmed, pulling him closer where their chests touched. He held back from going further, despite his body aching to.

Oliver bit his lip, feeling the last thread of resistance snap as his moved his face past the point of no return, pressing his lips on to his and savoring the connection.

* * *

 **Well that's one relationship taken care of, get to see how the other two handle their issues on Wednesday! As always, I look forward to ya'lls reviews and thoughts here on this. They're greatly appreciated and I love all of them. This might be my first fic where we break 100 reviews! Hell, if we reach 100 reviews I'll double post next time for ya'll.**

 **Until next time guys!**


	23. Rinse and Repeat

**Ya'll! Okay, look I love you guys so much! We reached 100 reviews! I have never been so happy and so grateful to all of you guys! THANK YOU! As promised, two updates!**

 **Like before, the dialogue and scene was done with Roy as Kai and I as Ray! Check out her fics if ya'll haven't yet, she's amazing as is all the other writers out there.  
**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Ch 22- Rinse and Repeat. Saturday, October 27th

With the anger, the hurt, buried deep inside him Ray sat down on the plush leather couch that faced the large dark oak desk that no doubt belonged to Oliver's father.

He needed a smoke. His body was craving it badly, just to take off the edge even just for a little, but he wasn't about to light up inside Oliver's home even if he could faintly smell it in the room he had wandered into.

At least it was quiet, barely, since he could hear the music and partying still going on full swing through the walls. Tyson's less than perfect singing voice belting out all the wrong notes to a song he didn't recognize, Max's voice coming in and out with him while the others were laughing.

He had to hand it to him, Oliver knew how to throw a party like always.

As he sat there in a mind numbing bliss he started to wonder why he had even bothered to come, he hadn't had anything to drink or much less eat since he had arrived. Not to mention Kai had showed up, something he hadn't been expecting but at least he had been able to avoid him all night. The house was big enough he got lost himself on several occasions, even if he had been there before.

Ray shuddered, running his hand down his face and pulling as he groaned.

He was an idiot, one big stupid idiot. Kai had warned him but he didn't listen, he didn't want to listen to him and now he was paying the price for his stupid drunkenness. He could have put it off as a lasp in judgement, that the alcohol had really gotten to him that night but he knew better.

He wanted it, had been craving it. Sure, being sober would have been a lot more helpful, but maybe it wouldn't have. He wasn't made of steel, even if he had tried to pull it off that he was, the torment he'd face at the hands of Stan was nothing compared to this. Hell, he'd take on Brooklyn again if it meant giving him some peace of mind now.

Like with most things, the universe had a funny sense of humor and just as he was starting to relax the door opened.

Gold met crimson and his heart sped up faster as they stared at one another, Kai looking like he was battling internally with whether he should step in more or step out and run off.

To both of their dismay he stepped in, looking no better than Ray felt. He knew he wasn't one for crowds and half wondered how he had been surviving this long, surrounded by people he really didn't care for and like let alone trying to blend in with the rest of them like a normal teenager.

The moment Kai stepped into the office and had shut the door behind him they avoided eye contact again, Kai going to one of the three large windows that spanned the back of the room that overlooked the front of the house.

When Ray felt like he could, he looked up at him again, his stomach doing summersaults as the lights from outside seemed to form a white silhouette around him as he stood by the window. It was the first time he saw him that night, in a week, and already Ray felt himself wanting to drool at the sight.

Kai's two-toned hair was pulled back into a small pony tail that rested just below the nape of his neck, some of the slate strands pulled back within it making it all blend with a few pieces in his face; all Oliver's doing. He wasn't dressed very formal, having forgone Oliver's rule of wearing a costume, but his black jeans fit him in all the right ways and his leather jacket suited him.

Ray forced the lump in his throat down, the air around them going stale but he didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't keep living like this though, that much he knew, but he didn't know how to make it better. It was his fault they were like this now, something he had wanted to avoid but threw them in it instead.

Aside from the others constantly asking him questions, no doubt not getting any answers from Kai either, he wanted it to stop. He wanted to go back to what they had before the night of the homecoming game, to have what they did before all of this. It had only been a week but it felt like an entire life time. He missed him, in more ways than one.

As the staleness in the air got thicker he finally found it within himself to get up and do something, Kai barely looked over his shoulder at him as he heard him moving. As much as he wanted it to end he wasn't going to be the one to fix this, he wasn't the one who broke it, regardless of what Oliver had said to him.

There was a slight static that filled the room and even though he had refused to turn and look at him, watch him leave like the coward he was, Kai still looked over his shoulder and his heart sunk a little as Ray fiddled with the old record player.

The soft music of a song he didn't recognize slowly filling in with the tension and gold met crimson again.

He wanted to run but Ray was in the way of the door now, and he didn't like the look he was giving him even if his body was aching to be close to him.

"Dance with me?" Ray's asked in a soft voice, barely audible over the music as it seemed to blend.

Kai tensed. That being the last thing he'd expected to come out of his mouth, but it was better than awkward silence or an argument about what happened. He quickly weighed up his options.

Decline and keep this stupid wall between them or do it and hope it would bring it down.

Kai cracked a small smirk. "I mean... Sure? But be warned, I'm hardly a dancer." He shrugged.

Ray smiled at him as he moved towards the open space in front of the desk, giving Kai enough space to meet him halfway with his heart pounding. Kai could back out if he wanted to, he wasn't going to make him do it if he didn't want to.

"That's okay, I'm not very good at this either." He said sheepishly, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Kai's smirk grew a little as he stepped towards him. "Good thing there's no audience for this then..."

Ray chuckled a little as he held his hands out for him, Kai's fingers sliding in between his as he held onto him. It had felt like forever since he had touched him and it sent a shiver down his back, praying that his face wouldn't burn as hot as the sun right now.

"Good thing you weren't at the Homecoming dance." He added as they started to step, it was awkward and the music wasn't something that you couldn't really slow dance to but it was better than nothing.

"Hn, I'm sure I really missed out..." Kai said sarcastically as he tried to lead and focus on not stepping on his feet or anything stupid to add to this weird moment. But, weird as it was, it was nice. The tension felt like was melting away already.

"Well, from when I was there it wasn't much. Just Tyson dry humping Hilary, Lee trying to get his date to dance with him and Max and Mariam swapping spit." Ray laughed again as he rolled his eyes. "And Emily never showed up, so Kenny was alone. Poor guy."

Kai let out a sympathetic chuckle. "Aw... Ouch... He's better off, I'm sure. Probably dodged a bullet there."

Ray nodded, unconsciously stepping closer to him as his fingers tightened their hold around Kai's.

"What do you think about this one? The party I mean."

Kai felt himself warm up at the tighter hold, the devil on his shoulder willing him to lean in and make this what he really wanted. But that would ruin all chances of getting their friendship back.

"All right, I guess..." He answered vaguely.

"I got lost a few times, trying to get out of the crowd, even though I've been here before." Ray said quickly, his brain misfiring on him with how close he was to him. "The others abandoned me for that karaoke machine."

Kai snorted. "That's gotta hurt... Quite a place, huh?"

"It is... Did you grow up in a place this big?" Ray asked as he met his eyes, having been looking past him the entire time.

Kai tensed as he looked back at him before giving him a quiet nod. "I did... Overrated."

Ray didn't miss the burning in his eyes, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He said quietly, falling in step as he started to let Kai lead them now.

Of all the things they could talk about, bringing up Voltaire wasn't one of them. He wasn't ready yet though to ask him the more pressing issues, for now this was enough until he felt it was the right time.

"I don't know if you saw, but Bryan threw Tala into the pool earlier. Just before I came in here actually." Ray chuckled at the memory, having seen it before Lee had found him and had talked to him.

The anger he felt when Lee had spoken to him flared back up in him, but he didn't know what to do about it. His hands squeezed Kai's harder, not meaning to, within his anger and hurt.

Kai looked down at his hand caught in a death grip. "And you're mad about it?" He smirked, "The asshole probably deserved it... Going to be hell to pay for ruining his hair though."

Ray's eyes widened slightly and loosened his hold on him. "Ugh, no... Sorry I didn't mean to hurt you." He didn't even realize he had done that and he tried to push the anger down best he could, he didn't want that on top of everything else right now.

Kai cocked a brow. "You didn't hurt me. I'm made of stronger stuff than that." He answered as he scanned his face. "You alright?"

Tears pricked at Ray's eyes in an instant, "Yeah... Been a long night..." He breathed out, kicking himself mentally.

He knew Kai would ask, normally if he told him not to worry about he'd listen and hoped he would. Instead of waiting for him he decided to change the subject again, just to be on the safe side.

"What about you, how are you doing tonight?" He asked, a fake smile on his face as he looked up at him again, making his heart beat against his chest harder.

Kai fought his eyes from narrowing. He didn't seem all right. "Yeah, same old same old I guess..." He lied, not wanting to bring up the panic attack he had after shortly getting there.

Kai lost the fight and narrowed his eyes, unable to ignore Ray's looking wet. "Sure you're alright?"

Ray nodded to him, slipping his hands out of Kai's as the song had ended and had been over for a while now. He didn't know what to tell him, or even if he should. He was still trying to figure it out himself, half of him not wanting to admit it while the other asking more questions with less answers again.

Maybe he deserved it, he wouldn't put it past the universe to punish him again like this and it wasn't like he was the only one who had stepped out of line.

Ray went over to the record player again, looking for another song to play. He didn't recognize anything; Oliver's father had a weird taste in music and half of the names were in French. The longer he stood there looking them over he decided to just stay there, unable to pick something but he still didn't want to leave yet, leave him.

Maybe if he had something to drink it would help and he quickly shot those thoughts down, the last time he had a drink was the reason they were in this mess. His nerves got the better of him though, he really needed something.

"I'm gonna go get a drink, you want one?" He asked over his shoulder, going to the door.

Kai stood with his arms folded, watching him stand mindlessly at the player. "Looks like you need one... Sure, I'll take one."

"Okay, if I get lost I'll call you." He joked as he slipped out of the door and shut it behind him.

As he stepped out into the hall the door on his right opened and Oliver and Enrique stepped out together, holding hands with their hair a mess and the halo on Oliver's head even more falling off now.

Ray looked away quickly, his heart dropping on him even though he was happy for them. Wondering that if they could get past almost a month of not speaking to one another than surely he and Kai could get back what they had.

He wandered through the crowd to the kitchen, it being the easiest place to find in the maze and grabbed two red cups off the island. Before he went back up he took himself out front for a quick smoke, luckily there were others out there and he joined them by the fountain in a content silence before he gathered the cups from the edge of the fountain and went back in.

Kai had gone over to the record player and was standing at it when he came back into the room. Kicking the door closed behind him, with the bottom of his shoe, he handed Kai's cup out to him as he stood beside him looking over his shoulder.

"Find anything good?"

Kai scrunched up his nose. "Nah. Not my kind of thing." He said as he took the cup from him, the smell of tobacco hitting his nose. "Feel better after a little nicotine fix?" He asked with a slight smirk.

Ray blushed a little, at least he wasn't mad at him like last time. "Just a bit, had to suck it down so I didn't freeze out there." He said as he went over to the large black leather chair at the end of the desk, taking a seat in it while nodding slightly.

"I could get used to this." He said, more to himself than Kai and then turned and smirked at him. "Ah, my good man, come into my office pull up a chair." He laughed in a gruff voice, trying to imitate those big fat bosses on TV.

Kai's eyes glittered. "All you need is a whiskey glass and a fat cigar and you'd look the part." He said as he sat himself in the chair opposite him as he'd asked, even if it was in jest.

"...That or one of those creepy hairless cats."

Ray pointed a finger out at him as he took a swig of his drink, keeping it in his hand as he pulled it away. "We had one of those when I was six, scared the living piss out of me during the night. He'd sneak into my room and sit on my desk and stare at me while I slept, he was fucking weird."

Kai huffed out a laugh. "Oh, god. I don't think I'd sleep again. They're gross... I like cats and all, but those things are just evil lookin'."

"They are but he was as sweet as could be, his name was Pinky. He ran away three years later, dunno what happened to him but it's not like Stan noticed with all the others we have." Ray said with a roll of his eyes, swishing his beer in his cup before he took another sip.

"Guess who I just saw." He said as he sat his empty cup down, his head already feeling tingly.

Kai swallowed his mouthful of beer. "Who?"

"Oliver and Enrique, coming out of a room together." Ray said with a wiggle of his brows, resting into the oversized desk chair.

Kai's brow raised in sync with a smirk. "Is that right?" He asked with a pleased tone.

"Yeah... I'm happy for em." He said, but his voice wavered slightly.

Deciding that it was now or never, he sat up a bit more in the chair. "What about us?" Ray asked, holding his gaze.

Kai's smirk fell. There it was. "What about us, Ray?" He asked with a soft tone.

Ray inhaled heavily, trying his best to still his nerves as he kept their eyes locked. "I'm tired of this, what's happened between us... I know it's my fault, you tried to warn me and I didn't listen..." He stopped and bit into his bottom lip, breathing in heavily again.

"So what happens next? I guess... Do we just keep avoiding each other, tell the others what happened so they stop asking or lie to them? I don't know what to do, but I feel like I'm going to implode at this point."

Kai sat and stared for a moment. He had told him and he hadn't listened, he hadn't wanted to be his little Guinea pig. But he wasn't mad. Yeah, kissing him only made his feelings for him stronger, but this stupid dance of ignoring each other had to stop.

"Or we could just... Go back to what it was before?" Kai asked quietly.

It wasn't what he wanted, but he wasn't going to get what he wanted. He'd settle for friendship hands down at this point. Trying to take into account what Oliver had told him only moments ago, but he wasn't going to hold out much hope.

Ray's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach but he wasn't sure why. What had he been expecting? For Kai to tell him to drop the dead weight like yesterday's trash, that they could be happy like Oliver and Enrique and not give a shit what the others thought about them? Half of him did...

The other half was a little happy, not much, but hearing Kai say that he wanted to go back to what they had was better than telling him to stay away from him for now on.

Ray nodded to him, not even really sure why he was nodding but it felt like all he could do as his throat had clenched up on him. Tears pricking at his eyes again.

Kai frowned. "You're nodding, but... You don't look so sure."

"Because I'm not..." Ray heaved out, his shoulders shaking on him. "I told you how I felt, and even if I was drunk I meant it..."

Kai's stomach did weird things. It dropped, it flipped, it felt somewhat happy as well as a little angry.

"What am I supposed to do with that, Ray?" He bit before he could reel it in, "You have a girlfriend if I remember right!"

Ray nodded again, the anger flaring up within him to almost a boiling point and it wasn't because Kai was yelling at him. He clenched his jeans in his hands, trying to stop himself from shaking so hard. Did he tell him? Would he believe him? And if he did, then what?

He trembled harder, trying to stop the hot angry tears from rolling down his face. "She's cheating on me..."

Kai frowned harder as the sudden information hit him. "...What?"

"Guess I deserve it..." Ray choked as he shrugged, "That night... When I ran from you I went there... But we didn't do anything, I swear. Lee came and told me that he had heard 'us' but I had pushed her away…" He trailed off, the anger in him surging and his fingers itched to hit something.

Kai's eyes widened as he sat and took it all in. "How long have you known?"

"He just now told me, before you found me in here..." Ray said as he wiped the tears from his face. "I don't know if it's just been a onetime thing or not though, since this is the first he's ever approached me about it."

He slumped back in his chair, angry for him. How could you cheat on _Ray_? "...What're you gonna do?"

"I don't know yet..." He shook his head. "I didn't have it in me to tell Lee that what he heard wasn't because of me." He bit out angrily, "We've never done it before…" He said in more of a whisper.

Kai nodded dumbly, a little elated to know that Ray was still a virgin especially now with the news of his cheating 'girlfriend' even if it was hypocritical.

"Any idea who?"

"Hell if I know." Ray scoffed, "Want another drink?" He asked as he picked up his cup off the desk. He was going to need more if they were going to keep talking about this.

Kai gestured for him to sit down. "I'll get them." He insisted, taking his cup and leaving the room before Ray had a chance to protest.

Kai kept his head down and tried to be invisible as he went, feeling anger grow in his belly. What a stupid bitch, did she not see what she had?

He grabbed something he knew would be decent for the two of them, vodka, and scuttled back to Oliver's dad's office undetected. Kicking the door shut as Ray had earlier, he handed Ray his much needed drink as he sat back down on the opposite side of the desk across from him.

"Thanks." Ray said as he took it, throwing it back. "Probably why she didn't come tonight..." He bit.

Kai nodded silently, a little lost for words as to what to say or do. Really, all there was to do was listen, like the _friend_ he was.

A silence came over them, this time it wasn't as suffocating as before. Ray's head buzzing nicely, whatever Oliver had bought was strong as hell but he wasn't going to complain. At least for now it'd dull out the pain and anger he felt, but that didn't stop the tears from coming back.

"Am I not good enough?" He breathed out heavily, his voice shaking.

Kai tensed. Again, what was he supposed to do? Tell him he was perfect and that he should give that cheating pink haired whore the finger and fall into him instead?

"...It isn't you, Ray." He settled on, not knowing what else to say.

"Sure feels like it." Ray breathed again before taking another quick swig of his drink, reveling in the burn it gave him.

"Well that's not it!" Kai barked unintentionally, "She's the one that doesn't see what she has!"

Ray blinked at him a few times before a small smile curled its way to his lips. "Thanks... Sorry, didn't mean to be such a downer all of a sudden." He apologized and finished his second drink of the night.

"I think you're allowed to be." Kai sympathized, "Don't let her walk over you though." He warned.

"I won't... I'll call it off... Lee won't be happy, but oh well." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders again.

"Pretty sure he'll be more unimpressed with his baby sister." Kai comforted.

"Nah, worships the ground she walks on." Ray snorted while rolling his eyes. "Only reason why I never called it off before... When I..." He stopped and gestured vaguely at him.

Kai felt himself flushing a little. "Then they're a family of morons."

Ray nodded like he agreed, but really the only one to be angry at was Mariah.

"Well, least now I don't have to honeymoon in Spain." He joked a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"Or wake up next to that fuckin' face." Kai grimaced.

Ray couldn't hold in the laugh, "That is very true... I like yours better anyways." He said, the alcohol now talking for him.

Kai's heart stopped. Oh good... He was he rebound now...

"So uh... You need help with some payback?" Kai blurted out to change the subject.

Ray shook his head at him, "Don't think we need to go that far, karma's a bitch, she'll get what she deserves later on down the road." He said and played with the end of his empty cup.

"Are we okay now though?" He asked, his voice softening.

Kai tried not to sigh as he nodded. Part of him was glad it was over with Mariah. He didn't like to see him hurting. But as selfish as it was, he was relieved he wouldn't have to see them together any more.

"Yeah... We're good."

"Good, because I really missed you." Ray said as he avoided looking at him, as if his cup was more important now.

Kai looked down as well, despite seeing Ray's eyes on his cup. "...Same." He admitted.

"Wanna stay in here or mingle with the common folk?" Ray asked, feeling another tension coming over them again.

Kai lifted his eyes back to him and cocked a brow as a way to say, 'is that a trick question?'

"Right, should have known better." He smirked up at him, "Gonna step outside really quick though, I'll get you another drink if you want." He said as he pushed away from the desk and took up his empty cup, waiting on the side of the desk for Kai's answer.

"Please. Enjoy your cancer stick." He smirked at him.

"I'll try, it's pretty cold outside tonight." Ray chuckled as he went to the door, leaving Kai alone in the office again as he stepped outside.

The party was still going on in full swing, having missed more than half of it but it really didn't bother him. He wasn't even sure what time it was now, checking his phone really quick and it read off 12:10 am, he had been there for four hours now yet it didn't feel like it.

He tried to be as quick as he could, this time just snatching an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels out of the pile and a six pack of coke, taking that up with him back to the office.

"I bring gifts." He said joyfully, pushing the door open with his shoulder and kicking it shut again, a bit harder than he intended to.

Kai turned and smirked. "Well, looks like we have our own exclusive party."

"Almost everyone is out back, half of them in the pool. It's like thirty degrees out, they're all going to get sick." Ray sighed as he sat the cans down on the desk with the bottle of Jack.

"Think I heard Tyson screaming when he jumped in there, thought someone had died." He said as he took up the oversized chair again.

Kai shook his head, people were stupid and stupidity wasn't something he enjoyed.

"This can be the smart people's party." He said as he helped himself to the bottle of Jack and cracked the top, filling their cups.

"I wouldn't call us that." Ray chuckled as he mixed what little coke he could into his cup, holding out in a toast.

"To stupid people everywhere." He joked and threw his head back, the burn getting to him but he held it down, having to hold onto the desk for support.

Kai lifted his cup slightly before knocking his own back. "...You think maybe you should slow down a little?" He asked.

Not that he wanted to tell him what to do, but after what he'd just learned, maybe getting shitfaced wasn't the best thing to do.

"Not really, is a party after all and I was staying the night anyways." Ray said with a shrug, "Just don't let me go swimming, if I suggest it shove me in a closest please."

Kai gave him a nod as he laughed. "Understood."

"Oh, and." He started as he poured himself another drink, adding a bit more coke than Jack this time to keep his throat from burning. "If I suggest cutting my hair, tell me no and tie my hands up."

Kai laughed a little louder. "Oh, don't worry. I will." He reassured.

"It almost happened once, Tyson had to sit on me while Max hog tied me in the kitchen." Ray laughed, the buzz now full blown as he swiveled in the chair some.

Kai shook his head at him playfully. "And here I thought you were one of the smart ones. If you weren't the only other person, I'd banish you from this party."

Ray gave him a stupid sloppy smirk, "I'd banish me too, but I'm a riot at these things." He slurred, pouring himself another drink.

"Hn, so I'm starting to see." Kai smirked as he topped himself up once Ray was done.

"Should have seen me last year, dove head first into the pool and then knocked myself out. Rick had to dive in and save me." He lost himself, laughing about it as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"That was my first kiss too." He added, a sloppy smirk on his flushed face.

Kai made a face of disgust. "You kissed _Rick_?!"

"He put the moves on me first." Ray shrugged, "Guess you're not supposed to call it a kiss, but hey our lips touched."

"...Do you mean he gave you CPR?" Kai asked dully.

"CPR, kissing, same thing." Ray slurred, getting himself another drink ready now that his was halfway gone again.

"It was actually pretty nice, didn't think he had it in him to be so gentle with how big he is." He rambled off some more, the filter gone.

Kai felt his whole body clenching. "How nice for you..." He bit out quietly, trying not to let the twang of jealousy seep through.

Ray made a movement with his hands, mimicking what a pastor or nun would do when asking for God's salvation. "Have mercy on the woman he marries."

"Pff... As if there's a woman stupid enough to marry him, it's him I feel sorry for almost."

"You're not being very nice again..." Ray said in a pout, his bottom lip sticking out a bit too much.

"Heh, that's kind of my thing. Thought you'd have realized that by now." He joked back.

"You're nice to me."

"Cause I like you."

"Really?!" Ray's voice went a pitch too high, looking like an excited child.

Kai lifted a brow yet again. How was he such a lightweight? "You know I do..." He said with a hint of sadness.

"I like you too, ever since you almost ran into that door." Ray chuckled.

Kai cringed. Of course he'd bring something like that up. "Yup... Mr. Smooth right here."

"It's okay, I've run into it plenty of times myself along with the rest of the school body."

"You're uh... Not the most graceful of people, are ya?" Kai joked.

"Nope." Ray shook his head with no shame, his hair swishing violently around him. "I'm a fuckin' clutz."

Kai chuckled, "Starting to see that too."

"As long as you like what you see." Ray said as he tipped his head back, finishing his drink as if he remembered it was still in his hand.

Kai's eyes shot up to him and stayed quiet, holding his gaze.

Ray lowered his cup, cocking a brow. "What's wrong? Do I have a bug on my face?" He asked.

Kai felt his own buzz kicking in. Whether it was the booze or something in the air, it hit him like a brick wall.

"Not quite..." He said as he slithered out of his seat and walked around the desk to him.

Ray watched him quietly, setting his empty cup down on the desk as he kept his eyes on Kai's as he came closer. His body tingling with excitement, the alcohol surging through him. Kai stopped at his side, grabbing the chair arm and swiveling him to face him as he leaned down to him. His mind was yelling at him not to, but the rest of him was yelling for him to keep going.

"Hi..." Ray smiled up at him, feeling himself lean forward on his own.

"Hi..." He answered back as he tilted Ray's chin up a little, gently pressing his lips on his.

Ray pressed back instantly, his fingers grabbing the front of Kai's jacket to pull him down closer to him. Kai smelt of alcohol and he knew he wasn't fairing any better but the drunk and horny part of him didn't care, he wanted him, and the little tiny sober part of him was glad Kai had come to him this time.

Kai pressed against him with the same amount of force, pushing Ray back down into the chair where he had started getting up from it. The hand he had on the armrest didn't move, having to put the other that had tilted Ray's chin upwards on the other one, crowding Ray into the chair and pulled their lips apart.

Ray sat there panting, golden eyes locked on crimson as his body continued to tingle. He had never felt something so powerful before, it crashing through him just like the first time; he could never get enough of it.

When he went to move forward Kai pushed him back down gently with the tips of his fingers, having straightened himself upright before he broke his back bending forward like he was. Even though he wanted to protest nothing came out of Ray's mouth, his body waiting in anticipation again.

Kai smirked down at him, his eyes hazed over from the alcohol and lust, but now that he had disobeyed himself he wasn't sure what to do.

How far did they take this? Nowhere, all he'd allow them to do is kiss. What if someone walked in on them? He could lock the door before they went at it again, but he didn't move. Wouldn't this just mess everything up again? More than likely, but Ray was soon to be a free man.

"Get up." Kai ordered in a low breath, taking a step back from the chair to give him room.

Ray did as he was told, the room and world spinning on him but he held his ground. Looking at Kai again for his next set of instructions. Kai pointed over at the leather couch on the other side of the room and as Ray stepped over to it, Kai went and locked the door before following after him and sat down beside him.

"C'mere." He breathed heavily, holding his arms open for him and Ray shifted over on top of his lap where he put his left arm behind him.

"I love you too."

Ray's eyes widened as he looked down at him, his arms around Kai's neck and his legs bent at the knees on either side of him. It wasn't the most comfortable position but it had to do.

"Do you really?" Ray breathed after a moment of silence had passed over them, looking into Kai's eyes as if he could find out if he was telling the truth or lying.

Kai raised his free hand up and brushed the stray hairs from Ray's face where they had fallen out of the hair tie, tucking them behind his ear.

"I do." He said fondly, his heart slamming against his chest as he brushed his fingers through the back of Ray's hair behind his neck.

Ray smiled at him, one that was an actual decent smile as tears pricked at his eyes again. He had never really thought someone would like him, let alone love him. He thought he had that with Mariah, and that was shoved back into his face. Only a sliver of himself felt bad for having kissed Kai but sleeping with someone and kissing someone were two separate things.

He didn't have any love from his uncle, and once shit hit the fan with Mariah for good he'd lose Lee. Possibly the others. As long as he had Kai though, that's all that mattered in the here and now.

Lost in the moment Ray pressed their lips back together, this time soft and sweet. Wanting to savor the moment for what it was worth. Everything else thrown out of his head, even more so when Kai pulled him closer and a moan seeped between them.

At some point someone had tried to open the door, the other two not bothering to care since whoever it was couldn't get in and left after a minute. The giggles on the other side filtering through but once again went almost unnoticed by the two still heavily lip locked. Though by now they were on the floor, Kai over Ray with his fingers through his hair again, their jackets discarded on the couch with their shoes kicked off underneath it.

They kissed themselves senseless and breathless, wrapped around each other when morning came. In a tangled mess on the floor. Kai's right arm was numb from Ray having slept on it, while his head pounded with a terrible headache. Some of Ray's hair was wrapped around him and in his face, carefully pulling it off trying not to disturb him from his sleep. Ray needed it more than he did.

Oliver had other plans for him though, beating on the still closed and locked door. "It's time to wake up you two and to help clean the house with the others, there's Tylenol with eggs and pancakes being served in the kitchen. Let's go." He called through, Ray curling up with each hard knock as he groaned and came to.

"Remind me not to drink again… Ever…" He groaned again, his headache pounding in the side of his head just as hard as Oliver had hit the door.

"I tried to tell you." Kai chuckled, his own headache searing as he tried to pull himself away from Ray, his dead arm still stuck underneath him.

"Need you to get up."

"Noooo. I don't wanna." He whined out, pushing his back into Kai's body again. "I wanna stay here."

"Well, you heard the man. We have to clean up." Kai huffed as he rolled his eyes, scorning himself as it flared his headache up again. "And I need that bottle of Tylenol."

"Ugh, fineeee." Ray whined again as he sat up, freeing Kai's arm from it's prison.

Kai twisted his wrist out, trying to shake some feeling back into his arm as Ray started to get up slowly. The weight of everything that happened the night before came crashing down on them, the only good thing was that they were both still dressed. That didn't help either of them though as flashes of what had transpired flickered through their aching heads, the two of them waiting for the shoe to drop once more.


	24. Heartbeat

Ch 24- Heartbeat. Sunday, October 28th – Monday, October 29th.

The weight of everything that happened the night before came crashing down on them, the only good thing was that they were both still dressed. That didn't help either of them though as flashes of what had transpired flickered through their aching heads, the two of them waiting for the shoe to drop once more.

Ray turned and looked, like a deer caught in the headlights, in almost a stunned silence. Kai was trying to avoid looking at him, still sitting on the floor with his tingling arm holding him up. The tension was thicker than it ever had been before as more repeats of what had happened came to them, like a movie on rewind, causing the two of them to swallow hard.

The longer they stayed like that, staring and not staring at one another, Ray finally found it in himself to properly look at Kai again while he continued to avoid him. Kicking himself mentally for having started the whole thing, again, swearing off parties and alcohol for the rest of his life.

There was no reason for it, nor was it really the right time for one but there was a small tug at the corner of Ray's lips. His stomach tightening as he clocked all the dark bruising and teeth marks he had left on Kai's pale skin, the biggest hickey was barely covered by the collar of his shirt, stuck in the crook of his neck and right shoulder.

Finally, knowing he looked no better than a spotted leopard himself, a chuckled escaped him. The noise caused Kai's head to snap towards him, brow raised and clocked the marks on Ray's neck and his stomach twisted harder. Ray held his stomach, his laughing almost painful now as the tension seemed to dissolve with the noise.

Kai was fighting back his own laughter, Ray's becoming contagious now since he didn't stop. Not that there was much to be laughing over it still felt good to wash the tension away, to know that Ray wasn't fixing to bolt like last time and finally let it out.

Ray wiped the tears running down his face, coming to sit back down on the floor in front of Kai. Inhaling heavily to try and get his breathing under control, his empty stomach hurting just as much as his head.

"I'm sorry… But… Your neck…" Ray chuckled, the laughter fighting it's way back out of him.

Kai rose a brow, feeling slightly smug against the rest of his emotions. "Not that yours is any better."

Ray put a hand to his neck and flinched, feeling around the sore spots that littered his skin before he shrugged. Pulling his hair around his shoulders, hiding them under the dark locks.

"I can do this though, how are you going to get out of yours?" He asked coyly, eyeing Kai's again and felt just as smug.

Kai's eyes widened a bit, he hadn't even thought about it. "Shit…"

Ray laughed at him again, only flaring the pain in his head but the look on Kai's face was too good to not laugh at.

"Oh you think this if funny, do you?" Kai growled at him playfully, fighting hard to scowl at him.

"It is." Ray wheezed, wiping the new tears rolling down his face.

Kai huffed at him before a little light bulb went over his head. Before Ray had any idea what happened Kai had him pinned on his back on the floor, hovering over him on his hands and knees with their faces only inches from the other.

Ray's heart sunk into the pit of his stomach, hammering it's way down there hard, and swallowed almost nervously as he met the gleam in Kai's eyes. The force of hitting the floor caused his headache to flare, having to bite back to hiss that wanted to come out when he had hit his head. Kai didn't miss the look of pain on his face though, his own head not faring any better with the movement and was kicking himself again for having even done that; completely forgetting why he had even done that to begin with.

"Sorry."

"For what?" Ray blinked up at him, arms at his sides even though they itched to reach up and touch him.

"Um…" Kai paused, blinking back before he pulled himself away and sat over Ray's thighs. "For last night." He settled on.

Ray sat up with him, leaning back on his elbows. "Why would you apologize for that?"

"You were drunk, I shouldn't have come onto you like that."

"I didn't tell you to stop, and you had a few drinks too. At least we're still clothed. I'm not mad." Ray said, hoping that was enough to tell him without bringing back the tension between them.

"Besides, I'm a free man here soon enough. I can kiss who I want." He added and Kai looked back up at him, brow raised.

"What, you thought I wasn't going to after finding out what she's done? Look, I'm no saint for having kissed you a week ago but that's a bit less than sleeping with someone." Ray explained and Kai nodded, his stomach doing it's familiar dance.

"What this means for us is up to you though." Ray said and his words seemed to pull Kai back to reality from wherever it was he had gone off to.

Kai took in the marks on Ray's neck, his hair didn't cover them as much as he thought they could. His stomach sinking as the weight hit his shoulders. This was what he wanted, what Ray wanted but the timing still didn't seem right. Not that last night wasn't amazing, leaving him craving more, he didn't want to risk Ray's safety anymore than it was.

"What about Stan?" He found himself asking, meeting Ray's eyes again.

Ray gave him a questioning look, "What about him?"

"I'm going to take a wild guess here, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he'd be too fond of this." Kai said in a sarcastic tone, motioning between the two of them.

"No, you're not wrong. He's as homophobic as they come, that's why I said it's up to you." Ray said and even though his voice was strong he couldn't shake the hurt he felt, he had come this far.

Leaving it up to Kai now he wasn't sure what would happen, there was the issue of Stan and Brooklyn. He knew Kai had things on his end with Voltaire, maybe a relationship wasn't the best thing they needed right now. No matter how much they wanted it to happen.

"If it helps any." Ray started since Kai had gone quiet on his legs for some time, shifting himself up more so they were closer he cleared his throat a little. His heart racing in his chest again all for a different reason.

"Natasha and Micah came over Tuesday, they told me they knew. Tala told Natasha what happened since she saw the cloth in the trash. They've given me some ideas on what I can do to get out where I don't have to become a ward of the state, I can emancipate myself from him but that leaves me with the problem of living on my own. I'm still looking some things up myself, because I'll need a lawyer and things like that. But I'm looking at ways to get out, if that matters at all." Ray explained, his throat threatening to close up on him as he spoke.

Kai looked up at him, letting his words sink in. He was actually going to do it and get out of there, that was one weight off his shoulders and he was happy to kiss it goodbye.

"They never said anything to me." Was all that came out of Kai's mouth, Ray chuckling at him.

"I told them not to, because of what happened over the weekend. Which also Natasha was not happy with me either."

"I told you, she's no push over." Kai interjected humorously.

Ray nodded, a small smile on his lips. "I see that… I'm really sorry for doing that to you."

Kai shrugged it off, they had already talked about it last night. He forgave him, he understood why he had ran off. Was thankful that Ray didn't make a bigger mistake that night when he had.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have done it to begin with." He repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"I shouldn't have asked you, it wasn't right of me on any level. If anything I'm not happy with how we've handled this though, but I'm still happy you did."

Kai rose a brow as he looked back up at him, his face warming with how close they were and Ray's words. He was happy that he did too, regardless of the awful week they put each other through.

"Did it work? What you were looking for?"

"I think it was always there, just too stupid and stubborn to really want to see it." Ray choked out, finding tears in his eyes that were unwanted.

"I don't blame you, for being unsure." Kai told him firmly, wanting to hold him so he didn't cry but didn't move.

"Would you blame me if I told you that I still am?" Ray asked, his voice cracking.

Kai shook his head, "There's a lot to unpack in all of this, down from our friends to our families. We don't have to tell anyone, until we're both sure."

"Does that mean?" Ray perked up a little, the tears still in his eyes but for a better reason now.

"I told you how I felt, and even if I was drunk I meant it." Kai repeated Ray's words to him from last night, wanting nothing more than to cement it again by kissing him but held back.

Even if Ray had given him the okay from what happened last night he wasn't going to step that line again, not when they still had to get up and nurse their headaches and figure everything else still. Like he had said, it was a lot to unpack, they didn't need to jump right into something if they were both still unsure.

He could wait, it wasn't like he hadn't been waiting this long to begin with, Ray's safety came first above anything else right now.

"Are you really going to tell someone now?" Kai asked, making his voice firm.

Ray nodded, that wasn't what he had been expecting out of Kai's mouth at this point.

"I am, Natasha took me Thursday to the courthouse to start the paperwork."

"So… You avoiding me during the week was because of this?" Kai asked, feeling slightly elated at that but also angry that Natasha had hidden this from him.

"Yes and no, I really was avoiding you." Ray chuckled a little, not even sure why but it was under the bridge now. "Getting this all set up was a good distraction at least, and I had some other things I needed to get started while there."

"Like what?" Kai rose a brow and Ray shook his head at him.

"It's not important. Stan will be back tomorrow though, was nice while it lasted." Ray said, avoiding telling him about the separate court case against Brooklyn. Now wasn't the time to bring him into that mess again.

"They're not going to arrest him?" Kai fought down the growl in his throat.

"No, I didn't make a report yet. I'm still trying to make sure everything else is set up right so I don't fall on my ass, Janett knows now and I've given her the option to take the diner when he's put away so there's that to do. Then there's the issue with the house and my truck."

"Your truck?" Kai asked, the only thing he really wanted to settle on at the moment as his brain was working overtime trying to take everything in.

"Yeah, it's technically mine since I bought it but the title is in his name so I'll have to fight for that too." Ray sighed out, running a hand through his disheveled bangs. "It's a lot of shit, more paper work than anything until I make the official report."

Kai nodded, shifting where he sat over Ray's legs and it hit him that that's where he had been sitting all along and pulled himself away to stand. Ray didn't protest, his legs had gone almost dead with the weight of the other on him for so long. Even if he missed the closeness.

"As long as you're getting yourself out of there." Kai decided to say, holding his hand out to help Ray up.

Ray took his hand, letting Kai pull him to his feet and didn't let go of his hand once he stood in front of him. The tension was gone, the weight they felt on their shoulders still there but with the knowledge they weren't doing it alone overpowered it. This was what they wanted, needed, not only because they loved each other but because they knew going through it together was easier than going it alone.

"I…" Ray paused, the want to tell him stopping from coming out for a reason unknown to himself.

Kai smirked a little, bridging the small space between them as he put his free hand up under Ray's chin. The tips of his fingers brushing through the hair around Ray's neck, pulling him that much closer until their lips brushed.

The familiar spark and shock shook them to their core, Ray stepping closer until their chest touched. Not letting Kai's hand go he put the other over his hip, holding him there until they had to part for air.

"I love you too." Kai told him in a breathless pant.

Ray smiled up at him and the two jumped, being pulled from their own little world, as there was a hard knock on the door to the office.

"Let's go boys!" Oliver called through.

Ray chuckled a little, stilling his frantic heart from being shocked back to reality. Kai glared at the door heatedly, not caring for the interruption but was more than grateful for the reminder that he had a headache to nurse.

"Guess we should go, before he breaks the door down." Ray said as he pulled away from Kai, going to the couch to put his shoes back on and his jacket.

Kai followed him quietly, sitting down beside him as he pulled his boots back on. Flipping the collar of his jacket, trying to hide the hickeys on his neck.

Ray snickered at his feeble attempt, "I can still see them."

Kai's face burned, "Well if you hadn't become a vampire on me they wouldn't be there." He shot back.

"I got carried away." Ray pouted in a fake hurt voice, "Not like you did any better, I'm sure." He said snidely.

Kai checked the hickeys he had left, a very large impressive one right below Ray's left ear that he had to smirk at. Guess he got carried away too.

"What do we tell the others?" Kai asked.

"Random college kid or whatever, don't have to tell anyone if we don't want to."

"What about you though, everyone doesn't know about Mariah." Kai asked.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "I was drunk, they were drunk, one time thing." He said and Kai pouted.

"Oh, so this was a one time thing?" He asked in a sarcastic playful tone.

"I would certainly hope not." Ray snickered back, "We can sneak out though, if Oliver is commanding the others to clean I don't think he'll see us."

Kai arched a brow, "Can we get some coffee on the way home?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll get you some coffee." Ray laughed as he pulled his jacket over himself, and it was like the first time Kai had registered him in it.

"You're wearing it." He said fondly.

"I am, I really like it and it's warm and cozy." Ray smirked back.

Kai's stomach fluttered, "It looks good on you."

It was Ray's turn to blush, "Thank you." He squeaked out, pushing back some hair that had fallen in front of his face and tucked it behind his ear.

Kai leaned over, unable to stop himself now and not that he really cared either, and pecked Ray on the cheek.

"Let's go before he comes back." He said as he pulled himself away, even though his body wanted to stay there and put Ray down on the couch on his back again like last night.

Ray nodded, checking he had what he needed and stepped towards the door. Pulling it open a crack just to make sure the coast was clear. The sounds of a few disgruntled peers coming down the hall from the other rooms, not seeing anyone he motioned for Kai to follow him and they bolted towards the glass door that took them outside under the covered walkway.

"There's a staircase down here that leads into the garage from the theatre." Ray explained as they walked down the walkway, the wind nipping at them.

"Theatre?" Kai arched a brow at his back.

"Yeah, movie theatre. Sits above the garage." Ray explained, making it to the end to a solid heavy wooden door at the end of the walk.

"Of course there's a theatre." Kai grumbled, following after Ray inside the dark room.

They froze a little, apparently Oliver hadn't come to get the people that were still in here. At least it was still dark enough they didn't have to see anything; the noises were enough to get a good idea of what was going on down aisle two near the front of the giant screen. The menu screen to Scott Pilgrim Vs the World still playing and going unnoticed, it being the only light in the darkened room.

Kai's skin pricked as his face flushed, his heart stopping on him as he became frozen to the spot. The noises invading his hearing like a bad nightmare and he found it hard to breathe, but he couldn't move to pull his shirt collar away from his neck.

Ray didn't even notice behind him, smirking and shaking his head at whoever it was over there getting it on and started for the stairs at the corner of the theatre that would lead them down into the garage.

He paused when he finally realized Kai wasn't behind him anymore, turning and squinting through the barely lit room and seeing him still standing there by the door.

"Kai." He whispered out, mindful of the others still in there and hoping they didn't hear him over the sound on the movie's menu blaring out.

Kai barely snapped out of it, turning his eyes towards him before he shook his head. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, his body unable to force himself to walk.

Ray went back over to him quietly, barely able to still see him in the dark but could see the fear in Kai's eyes.

"What's wrong?" He whispered, putting a hand on Kai's arm and felt him tense up under his touch.

"C'mon, it's okay." Ray said in a slight panic, wondering what was going on all of a sudden.

He tugged on Kai's jacket sleeve, trying to get him moving before they were found out but Kai still didn't budge from the spot. A loud moan from one of the people in there tearing through the air and all the hair on Kai's body stood on end, his face burning to a point he had never felt before as his throat closed up.

Still not knowing what was going on, unfazed by the noises, Ray put his arm around Kai's back and pulled him along. Kai was still tense but at least his legs moved for him albeit stiffly, letting Ray get him to the metal spiral staircase and started to go down them. His legs feeling like lead with each step, his body shaking on him even when they were both down in the garage.

"What happened?" Ray asked, going back and holding onto his hands.

Kai shook his head, still unable to breathe and talk. He didn't know what happened, he never did when this happened to him. He knew it was stupid but every time he heard the noises from another person having sex this would happen to him, he was never vocal when he was with Brooklyn but that wasn't enough to really pinpoint the problem.

"It's okay…" Was all Ray could say to him, hoping that Kai would calm down on him so they could get out of there.

Kai nodded stiffly at him, he knew it was okay but his mind and body was telling him differently still. At least now the noises weren't as strong being a floor down and away from it, relieved that he hadn't even seen anything either. Which was another stupid thing, he watched porn for heaven's sake! Yet this still happened to him and he didn't know why.

Ray waited patiently for him, not knowing what to do to help him or what was wrong with him. Kai's trembling subsided and he breathed in heavily, the burn in his face dying away leaving him exhausted.

"M'sorry." He mumbled, feeling more embarrassed than what he had been feeling a second ago.

"It's okay… But what happened?" Ray asked him, looking into his eyes and still seeing the unknown fear in them.

"I don't know… It happens when I hear that…" Kai said and vaguely gestured back towards the spiral staircase.

Ray cocked a brow, "Really?"

Kai's heart stopped again. Great, now Ray was looking at him like he was stupid.

"Yes, really." He bit back, going on the defensive.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way Kai, I just didn't know that happens." Ray defended quickly, "Or that it could, I mean pretty much everyone has sex you know."

"Because I didn't know that." Kai still bit back at him, "I've had sex before Ray, I know what kind of noises come from it."

"Why are you yelling at me? I'm just trying to find out what happened." Ray sighed, letting Kai's hands go.

Ignoring the flare of jealousy in his stomach. He knew Kai and Brooklyn had done it before, but hearing Kai say it so openly got to him.

Kai took in a breath, he hadn't meant to yell at him. He just didn't know what to tell him.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why it happens but it does. Has done it through my whole life, it's like I'm having a panic attack and it doesn't go away until _it_ stops. I can't move to get away from it on my own or do anything but stay put until its over." He explained in another huff, pulling his bangs back from his face that had fallen out of the hair tie during the night.

Ray just nodded, figuring it best to not say anything more on the subject. He had never heard of that happening to anybody before. Sure, nobody really liked being stuck listening to it but to have a panic attack over it was a bit extreme in his opinion. Though he did feel bad that had happened to him.

"Well c'mon before we get caught or something." He decided to say, going to the door at the front of the garage near the metal doors.

Kai nodded, feeling just as stupid as before and followed after him quietly. They were both blinded momentarily by the light of day, having gone through the dark theatre like they had and took a minute to blink their eyes to get accustomed to the light.

"Looks like the coast is clear." Ray said as he had looked around again, there were still cars lined up behind one another in the driveway and he could see his truck out on the street where he had parked it.

They climbed in together, Ray not wasting anytime in starting it up and getting the heater going. Kai buckled himself in, resting back into the passenger seat still feeling completely drained and the headache ten-fold now.

"Still need a bottle of Tylenol." He grumbled and Ray chuckled at his comment.

"You and me both babe." He slipped, biting his lip as his back tensed.

That was a bit too fast, even for him but the smirk on Kai's face told him it didn't bother him like he thought it would.

"Coffee first, then Tylenol." Kai reminded.

Ray nodded as he put the truck in drive, getting them out of the line of cars around the cul-de-sac and back down the long road. Kai happened to glance behind them, watching Oliver's mansion disappear in the distance and caught sight of Tala's car still there.

He pulled out his phone, going to his brothers number to let him know he had already left.

{Heading home now. Don't wait up.}

{With who?!} Tala texted back, Kai having waited less than a minute for the reply.

{Wouldn't you like to know.} He replied, fighting back a smirk.

{You best tell me right now or mom is going to kill us both.} Tala typed back quickly.

{Who do you think?} Kai sighed as he typed back, hitting send and waited for the reply as Ray pulled up to a red light.

{ARE YOU PULLING MY LEG RIGHT NOW?!} Was Tala's next choice of words, Kai had to bite back a laugh.

{No, I'm not. And nothing happened, so get whatever is running through that head of yours out of the gutter.} Kai quickly wrote out, the last thing he needed was his brother coming home and trying to high-five him for scoring.

{You're no fun, you know that? Well fine, I'll let you go and see you at home. Behave yourselves.} Tala added a little winking face at the end of his message that made Kai cringe.  
It was still way too early to think about things like that, he wasn't even sure if they were an actual couple right this second. Making out and leaving hickeys on each other during a night of drunken passion didn't really equate to that… Did it?

"Hey…" He mumbled, grabbing Ray's attention.

"Yeah?" Ray asked, eyes on the road as they pulled out of the better part of town and down the stretch of highway.

Kai paused, his mind blanking out on him on what he had wanted to say. How did one just ask if they were now dating because of the events that led up to the two of them driving off to get coffee and Tylenol?

Ray chanced a look at him for a second since he had gone quiet on him, raising a brow at him before he took in Kai's stunned and pink tinged face. Biting the inside of his cheek so he didn't laugh again, the hickeys on his neck still poking out over the collar of his jacket.

"You okay?" Ray asked, thinking that maybe Kai got pulled back to the memory of what had happened. He knew he had been thrown back to it plenty of times since he had woken up.

Kai nodded, pulling his arms around his chest as he sat there staring at the open road and the few cars driving alongside them on the empty highway.

"When are you going to cut it off with Mariah?" He asked, trying to bite back the jealousy in his tone.

Maybe if he had a better idea of when Ray was going to be an actual free man it would make him feel better. Give him actual confirmation to let him know that they could actually be something now. Being the rebound was something he had already figured would happen, he knew Ray was with Mariah and had accepted that, but he still felt the jealousy there in the pit of his stomach.

Ray's brow reached higher, he knew he was going to have to do it at some point but he wasn't expecting to do it right that very second.

"I don't know yet…" He admitted in a breath, "I can't very well call her right now and do it, or even at school."

"Why?" Kai bit back, not meaning to.

"Because I don't want to draw a crowd, yeah what she's done is shitty but I've not been that much better if you think about it. And I want to see her reaction when I tell her that I know what she's been doing to me, and to know how long it's been going on." Ray answered back in his own biting tone.

"Why would it matter how long it's been going on, once is enough to call it off." Kai said, reeling back in his tone.

Ray shrugged, "I dunno… Maybe so I don't feel as bad being the first to step out of line or something." He tried to reason, though really he knew he wouldn't feel that much better about it at all even if he knew.

Kai seemed to take it in, thinking it over for a second before his back tensed on him.

"Do you regret it then?" He asked in a low tone.

"Regret what?" Ray asked, chancing a look at him again.

"This." Kai said harshly, pointing between the two of them.

"There's a lot of things I regret in life, but this isn't one of them. Yeah, it would have been nice doing this without the extra baggage attached but it's what it is now. I never really loved her like I knew I should have, that's probably why it was so easy to fall in love with you." Ray explained.

Kai's heart burst a little at that, feeling smug again. "Her loss." He muttered, looking out his window.

Ray chuckled a little, shaking his head. This was too weird but in a good way. The fight wasn't over yet, he knew that, but at least now he didn't have to go it alone anymore.

He guided his truck down the off ramp into town, deciding to pull up to a small mom and pop Greek restaurant. Cutting the engine and finally decided to check out his neck, throwing down the visor and flipping the mirror open.

"Holy shit." He exclaimed, moving his hair from around his shoulders to take it all in. "And you called me the vampire here."

Kai's smugness hit the roof, "You didn't tell me to stop."

"Well yeah… Why would I? I was enjoying it." Ray laughed, giving his spotted neck one last quick look over before flipping the visor back up.

He rooted around in the back seat of his truck, pulling out a hairbrush and quickly got to work, pulling the strands over his shoulders to cover what he could. Handing it to Kai next so they at least looked slightly decent enough before going inside, even if Kai couldn't cover the marks on his neck with his own hair.

"I like your hair like that." Ray found himself saying, watching Kai pull it out from the ponytail Oliver had done it up in.

Kai's face flushed, "Yours too." He choked out, focusing on brushing out the knots that had accumulated during the night.

Done with their hair they stepped inside the restaurant, the old woman who gave them their table eyeing Kai's neck harshly the entire way. He ignored her and anyone else who had the gall to stare longer than necessary, Ray having to bite back from laughing in his face; it was his fault but he didn't feel bad for it at all.

It was nice, just the two of them, and they stayed out longer than they both probably should have. Eventually Ray took them home sometime around one in the afternoon, getting lost in talking back at the restaurant to just driving around aimlessly for another hour.

They parted once Ray parked in his drive, he had things to do before Stan came home the next day, and Kai had his own homework and things that needed to be done on top of facing his brother and foster parents.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Ray said once the engine was cut, but he just sat there.

He said he'd let Kai decide on how this went, even though his body ached to lean over and kiss him goodbye. Kai saw the hesitation and unable to stop himself he leaned over best he could with the armrest between them, pulling Ray by the back of neck to meet him and crashed their lips together.

Their bodies burned at the connection, just like it did every other time, and the want to pull away wasn't there but with the lack of oxygen they had to. Breathless and slightly panting, wanting to do it over and over again but Kai forced himself away.

Kai didn't know what to say so settled on just nodding to him, lips slightly swollen as he finally got out of Ray's truck. Ray watched him go in a daze, his heart pounding in his chest and kept his eyes on Kai until he slipped into his home.

Gathering his strength Ray pulled himself out and went into his empty home, a small smile on his lips as he shut the door behind him and leaned up against it trying to still his frantic beating heart.

The chores were a good distraction, wondering all day how well Kai fared with his parents and Tala who no doubt had questions about his neck. Lucky for the first time in his life that Stan wasn't there to hound him with the same kind of questions, even if he was Ray could have told him it was from Mariah which would either earn him a clap on the back for being a 'man' or a long lecture about the birds and the bees again. He didn't want either, much less for Stan to find out that it wasn't Mariah at all because that would only earn him a different kind of clap on the back.

He felt high and that high didn't leave him through the whole day, dishes done and floors swept. The house was cleaned to the point one could eat off any surface without fear of getting sick. When Ray finally retired, taking a cold shower and checking over his neck one last time he wandered to his room and threw himself down on his bed. Burying his face in his pillow when his phone went off with a text, his high only soaring as he read over it.

{Sleep good.}

Ray's fingers itched to type something back but the little devil in the back of his head told him to do something else and throwing all caution to the wind he obeyed it, pulling on his jacket that Kai had gotten him and pulled on his shoes he walked outside into the night.

Kai was laid up on his back, his left hand propped behind his head while he held his phone in the other above his face as he waited for Ray's reply. His own high hadn't left him all day, even after facing his family and trying to wiggle his way out of their questions until he finally caved and told them what happened and who they were from.

Natasha and Micah gave him a run down on taking things slow, not that he already hadn't planned to do that but promised them he would. Ray still needed to officially end things with Mariah before he was comfortable telling the others, it was just one small hurdle they had to get over and once that was done they were free to do what they pleased.

A small tap on the window above his bed made him falter, almost dropping his phone on his face and quickly sat up. It was hardly eight at night but he knew his family had already gone to bed after dinner, Micah had an early start in the morning and Natasha had things she needed to do on her part for Ray like she said she would.

Sitting up Kai threw back his curtains and rolled up the blinds, his smile reaching the width of his face just as Ray's was and threw up his window.

"You're going to catch a cold." He told him quietly, leaning his arms over the window sill.

"Only if you don't let me in." Ray chuckled just as quietly, his hair was still damp from his shower and the cold air wasn't helping in keeping him as warm as he normally would have been if it were dry.

Kai moved aside so he could climb into his room and the second the window was shut Ray pounced on him, throwing them both down onto the bed. Kai laid on his back, pulling Ray closer to him as he let him dominate the kiss. It was more demanding and just as powerful as the night before, taking every ounce of breath from within his lungs out of him. Biting back the noises that wanted to pour out of them, very aware that if they were too loud someone down the hall could hear.

"Just wanted to give you a proper goodnight." Ray panted once they pulled back to breathe.

Kai smirked a little, pushing back some of Ray's damp hair away from his face and tucked it back behind his ear. Ray smiled back as he looked down at him, leaning into Kai's hand that had cupped his cheek tenderly. If he was a cat he'd probably be purring right about now, regrettably all he could do was lean back down and kiss him again. This time gentle and sweet.

They could have fallen asleep together like that, wrapped around each other the way they had been but that wouldn't have looked too good if Tala decided to come in and wake Kai up in the morning. Once more they forced themselves apart for what they could count as the tenth time, lips swollen and panting. The temperature in the room to the point of boiling, even if they hadn't done anything more than just make out.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Kai said once he found his voice.

Ray nodded even though he didn't want to leave, this was the happiest he had ever felt in his life.

"Sleep good." He repeated Kai's text to him, getting a smile in return.

"You too." Kai pecked him on the lips and pulled back before Ray could push back and start them over again.

Ray took the hint and pulled himself away, pushing up Kai's window and crawled himself out. Kai watched him go for a minute just to make sure he made it back inside his own home before he closed the window back down, pulling the blinds and curtains back before he flopped back on his bed.

Of course come morning, with little to no sleep between the two of them, the second they saw each other they were lip locked just outside between their homes. Lee had messaged Ray earlier that he wasn't picking any of them up because he had gotten sick for being out in the pool at Oliver's party, prompting Ray to ride the bus with Kai.  
When they reached the bus stop they refrained from touching more, not needing prying eyes on the two and Kai had found a white scarf to wear to hide his neck while Ray continued to use his hair.

Getting into the school was the easy part, Oliver had chanced them a glance and smirked at them while he and Enrique walked into the school hand in hand; ignoring the stares and whispers around them.

Ray left Kai at his locker, since it was the closest to the doors, and they wouldn't see each other till come lunch but that was only if Kai came into the library to see him. Kai did, leaving the two to hide in the back room and make out until the bell rang for their next period together. They ended up walking to English together, refraining from holding hands or looking like they were a couple at all.

Mariah wasn't in class, not that either had taken notice before, but Lee had told Ray that her stomach bug was getting worse when he had texted Ray that morning. Which was fine with him but that left him not wanting to break up with her while she was sick, he wasn't that much of an asshole, but during his and Kai's make out session in the library Kai had made it clear that what happened the night before wouldn't happen again until Ray did break up with her. Ray had agreed even if it put a weight down on his shoulders he thought had been lifted, he knew he was going to have to at some point but now just didn't seem like the best idea.

Gym rolled around and the second they were changed out of their clothes the other two locked onto the hickeys on their necks, both giving them smug grins even if they didn't know they had been the cause of them.

"That was some party, even if you got some there huh Kai?" Tyson said, his own neck not looking any better.

"What about Mariah though Ray?" Max asked, his own neck littered just like the other three.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "It was a one time thing, had too much to drink. It didn't mean anything." Ray said as casually as he could, having rehearsed that line in his head repeatedly the past few hours for when he had to lie right to their faces.

Eventually he'd tell them, but now wasn't the time.

The younger two didn't push more, Ray's little lasp in judgement would stay their secret and it wasn't like they could remember who they had hooked up with that night either.

The coach had them all stay inside, it was too cold to go out now, and that left the four of them with Enrique and Oliver sitting together in their own little group as the other students either played basketball or something else until the bell rang.

Enrique and Oliver were left to explain everything to everyone there, the younger two happy for them all the same. Johnny and Robert barely passed the two of them a second glance through it all, and before any of them realized it the bell had rung and they were dismissed for the day.

Tyson and Max followed the two older boys out, stopping at their lockers in conversation about the party and anything else they had on their minds. Kai's locker was the last one to reach on their way out, the crowd of other students dying out as they made their way towards the doors.

When they stepped outside they all stopped, down the flight of stairs stood Lee with a fire in his eyes as they locked onto Ray.

"YOU!" He bellowed out loudly, drawing the attention of the other students around them as they were walking by.

Ray stepped back, he had never seen Lee look that angry before and his heart plummeted to his toes. His hair was covering the marks, there was no way Lee knew he had them.

Kai moved to stand in front of Lee, blocking his path from getting to Ray but that didn't stop the shorter male from stepping closer to them.

"How dare you do this to Mariah!" Lee yelled out, his voice getting higher and that forced the passerby's to stop and stare.

They had never seen the two of them come to blows before, not being best friends like they had through most of their life. All sets of eyes moved from Lee to Ray who looked stuck where he stood on the last step of the stairs, Max and Tyson looking just as shocked and dazed.

"Do what?" Tyson asked, he promised he wouldn't out Ray's secret to anyone but wanted to find out what was going on all the same.

Lee turned his heated gaze towards Tyson for a second before he turned back to Ray, grinding his teeth as his fists clenched at his sides. Kai was still in the way and he knew he didn't stack up against him, not after what had happened to Johnny.

"You got her pregnant!" Lee shouted.

All at once there was a collective sound of surprised gasps around the small crowd, Ray and his friends each expressing their own at the news before Ray shook his head to get it out of him. That wasn't possible.

Kai's hardened stare he had against Lee faltered slightly, thousands of questions rushing through him. Ray was defensive about breaking up with Mariah, he kept saying now wasn't the time to do it. Maybe all along Ray knew and that was why he kept making excuses, had lied to him…

Kai stepped away, not even looking back at him as he started for his bus. Ray panicked watching Kai leave, his words got caught in his throat and he couldn't call out to him to stop him.

Lee saw the opportunity to attack now with Kai no longer standing between them, and in a flash he grabbed the front of Ray's jacket and pulled him down to the ground. His fist connecting with the ground by Ray's head as he had moved it just in time to avoid being hit in the face, pushing with all he could to get Lee off of him.

"LEE!" Tyson and Max gasped, watching the two roll on the concrete trying to get the upper hand on the other as the crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers.

Ray got over Lee's waist, holding his arms down at his sides as Lee struggled to get out of his grasp. Ray's hair had gone all over the place, getting caught between them during their scuffle and Lee had clocked the hickeys adorning his neck; igniting another fire within him.

"You cheated on her too? While she carries your child?!" Lee shot out, trying to get his arms free from Ray's hold.

Ray froze for a second, giving Lee the opportunity to pull his right arm free, it coming and connecting with the side of Ray's head but he barely faltered from the hit. Quickly grabbing Lee's arm and pinning it back down to the ground, leaning over him closer to his face.

"I did no such thing! She stepped out of line first, that child isn't mine!" Ray hissed out low.

"You're going to sit there and lie to my face?! You can't hide those marks on your neck!"

"The child isn't mine! I don't care what she says, it's not!" Ray bellowed out, his own hands itching to hit him as blood ran down his chin. His lip being split open from the hit.

"I _heard_ you two." Lee seethed, pushing against Ray's hold again.

"That was a week ago! And we didn't do anything, I ran away before we did anything. Think about it Lee, a week is too soon to know if she's pregnant so this happened BEFORE that!" Ray shouted, never in his life had he ever been thankful for taking that Family Planning class as he was now.

Then it hit him, all the times Mariah had been trying to sleep with him the past few weeks. She knew before this and had been trying to get him to sleep with her so he would think it was his, the only good thing that he could see come out of this was that it wasn't his because he had never stepped that line with her. The only real question was who.

"It's not mine, I'm still a virgin. You can argue with me about this till the end of time but I'm done, with the _both_ of you." Ray said in a low growl, getting in Lee's face again.

"You're a liar." Lee spat at him, "And now you're going to blame her, the mother of your child and abandon the two of them? Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from that family tree of yours." He sneered out.

Ray froze again, the other two who had been shocked into standing and watching finally snapped out of it. That was too low of a blow.

Tyson and Max finally stepped up but before they reached the two Rick had forced himself through the crowd, lifting Ray up by the back of his jacket like a small child and stepped away from Lee as he scrambled up to his feet.

"Back off Lee." Rick said, putting Ray back down on his feet and stood between the two.

"This doesn't concern you Rick!" Lee bit out.

"It may not, but that doesn't give you the right to come here and attack him. This isn't the time or place Lee, so back off." Rick said calmly, giving Lee a heated glare as he stared down at him.

Max and Tyson came to stand beside Ray, slightly standing in front of him behind Rick. Lee took them all in, it wasn't a fair fight now and he knew that and backed down ever so slightly from the four of them.

"This isn't done." He warned before he took himself away, pushing through the crowd that parted for him.

Rick made a noise as he watched him go over the top of the heads of the crowd, turning back to the others.

"I assume you two will handle this?" Rick asked, directing his question at Max.

"Yeah, thank you Rick." Max answered as he put a hand around Ray's shoulders.

"Don't sweat it, not the first time I've had to save your ass." Rick said, looking down at Ray who had put his head down.

"Thanks…" He said weakly, refusing to look up.

"Alright, shows over everyone." Rick called through the crowd, shooing them away before he too took off to his own vehicle in the parking lot.

Tyson put his hand on Ray's shoulder, "C'mon, let's get you outta here, we'll take you to my place."

Ray nodded, unsure of what else there was to say to either of them. He let them lead him out towards the road. Tyson calling up his grandfather to pick them up, the two of them not letting him out from under their arms around his shoulders.

Ray began to shake under their weight, he knew Mariah had cheated but he hadn't thought it had gone on that long and now it came with the consequence of what he had wanted to avoid all along. Kai had left him there, why he didn't know, and that was his first priority.

"Just take me home."

* * *

 **I was trying to be sneaky about the pregnancy, but ya'll guessed it! Hope you enjoyed the two chapters, I'm looking forward to all of your thoughts here, I appreciate each and every one of them. Ch 29 got done last night, thanks to JuliaFernandezHiwatari so much love to you darling!  
**

 **I'll see ya'll on Friday with the next update, hope ya'll have a good rest of your week.**


	25. Hold On

**Hey guys, welcome back. So sorry for the lack of updates, but spontaneous trip to my moms happened and well here we are with three updates for you guys as my apology.**

 **I know I've mentioned it before, but this chapter IS based off the song Hold On by Chord Overstreet. It's really pretty and a bit sad.**

 **WARNING: This chapter is kind of rough, Stan is back. There isn't much detail, like always, but more of the aftermath.**

* * *

Ch 25- Hold On. Monday, October 29th- Tuesday, October 30th.

Kai's phone went off repeatedly as it vibrated against the top of his desk, ignoring every text that kept pouring in as well as the calls from the others and let each call go to voicemail. Natasha had come to tell him Ray was at the door but he said he didn't want to talk to him, how could he face him now after being lied to? That was four hours ago, it was nearing eight now and Ray hadn't tried again. Kai wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not now.

He loved him, had opened up to him in a way he never had to anyone before and had that shoved in his face more times than he cared to count. Of course he was foolish to have believed him at the party, Ray and Mariah had been dating for a year. He and Brooklyn had jumped in the sac six months into them dating, why would those two have held out this long?

That didn't stop the hurt, the anger and the jealousy he felt bubbling in his stomach every time he thought about it.

Ray was right, had been right all along. You couldn't put two broken people together and think it would work out, apparently they were just that broken it would never work out for them and he was an idiot to ever think that.

The love he felt for him was still overpowering, the memories of what they had done and had felt at Oliver's party coming back at the worst time. Bringing tears to his eyes that he refused to let fall, this year just kept getting worse it seemed.

He had texted Brooklyn, needing to get the taste of Ray out of his mouth but hadn't received a text back and he didn't try again. That was definitely for the better, and before he got caught up in him again he deleted and blocked the number from his phone.

He needed to take steps forward, not back, and those steps were just going to have to be without Ray by his side.

"Hey Skittles." Tala said as he stepped into his room, carrying a plate of food for him as he entered.

Kai looked over his shoulder, looking like he had just been brought back to reality with the appearance of his brother. He let Tala come in, sitting on the end of his bed where he was close to his desk and sat the plate of food down beside his laptop that Kai had opened and was just staring at.

"What's going on?" Tala asked after a short silence had come over them.

Kai shook his head, he didn't want to talk about it now. It wouldn't do him any good, it never got him what he wanted in the end so what was the point? Tala heaved in a heavy sigh, this was getting tiring and more so than usual.

"Look, I don't know what's going on but this needs to stop. I thought you two were doing fine, what the hell happened and I want an answer." He said firmly, bringing his left leg over his right.

"Fuck off will you?" Kai growled out, putting his forehead in the palm of his hand as he leant his elbow up on the top of his desk.

Tala barely blinked at him, not giving him a second glance at the comment. "I will when you talk to me Kai."

Kai's eyes snapped towards him, a firing behind them but Tala never flinched when he saw that look in his eyes; it had worn out it's power his first year living with them.

"Fine, you won't talk to me then let's go talk to him." Tala huffed as he stood, grabbing Kai under the arm and pulled.

Kai jerked back, "Let go!" He yelled.

"No! We're doing this now Kai. I'm so sick of seeing you moping over him, either he's not worth it at all and you give up right this second or you keep fighting. Pick one though because I'm at the end of my rope here, with the _both_ of you!" Tala shot back, grabbing under Kai's arm again and pulled harder where he forced Kai to his feet, his desk chair getting shoved back as he was pulled out of it.

"Why does it matter to you what I do or don't do? If you like him so much why don't you date him!?" Kai yelled, getting pulled towards his bedroom door.

"Because you're too blind to see how perfect the two of you are for each other!" Tala bit at him, his grip getting tighter on Kai's arm.

"He never wanted me! I was just the easy rebound and I fell into it!" Kai yelled, digging his heels into the carpet of his room halting the two for a second.

"You knew you would be the rebound once he called it off with his girl, so don't give me that." Tala said, tugging him towards the door again.

"Well he never did and he wasn't going to! She's pregnant!" Kai shouted, finally prying Tala's fingers off his arm and stepped back from him quickly.

"Didn't you say she was cheating on him?" Tala asked, looking bored with him.

"That's what he told me, but how the hell do I know if that was the truth?!"

"Has he ever lied to you before?" Tala asked, shaking his head slightly.

Kai faltered for a second, "No…"

"Then why would he lie to you about this?" Tala sighed out.

Kai's mouth opened but nothing came out.

Tala shook his head again before he grabbed Kai's arm, yanking him out of his bedroom and into the living room. Natasha and Micah gave him an encouraging wave, whether it was for Tala or Kai neither of them knew as they hadn't really been paying attention to them.

The second they stepped outside and the cold air hit them in the face Kai was jerked back to what was going on, kicking and trying to ground himself to stop Tala from pulling him closer to Ray's house just down the sidewalk that was less than a two-minute walk.

Tala knocked on the door, Kai going stiff as a board as they stood on the front porch of Ray's home where he couldn't even find it in himself to turn and run again. They waited for a few minutes, getting no answer. The truck was in the drive, Ray had only been over less than four hours ago.

Tala knocked on the door harder, the wood shaking under the pressure of his hits. His own heart was racing in his chest now, he had seen Stan coming home when he got home from school himself two hours ago.

Finally the door creaked open, Stan's round face poking through and staring heatedly at the two teens standing there on his front porch. He didn't like either of them, even if they had only met once each.

"The hell do you want?" He asked roughly.

"Ray!" Tala called past him, not even giving Stan a second glance.

"He's not here." Stan said, going to shut the door when Tala's foot wedged between it.

"Yes, he is." Tala said, his own icy blue eyes getting a fire behind them.

"Get your foot out of my house!" Stan bellowed as he tried to push the door closed, regardless of Tala's foot there.

"TALA?!" Ray's broken voice called out from the back of the house from his bedroom, the door was closed but Tala and Kai heard the desperation behind it clearly.

"Move your ass, NOW!" Tala bellowed, shoving the door open with Kai helping him.

Stan stumbled backwards into the armchair that sat in the living room, the two running past him to Ray's door only to find it locked.

"Get out of my house!" Stan yelled at the back of the two of them, Tala ramming his body against Ray's door to get it open.

"I can't get up…" Ray cried from the other side, watching his door bend with the weight.

Kai's heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach, reeling on Stan as he had come walking down the hall to stop them. In a blinding fury Kai grabbed the short man by the neck and threw him up against his own bedroom door, his fingers curling around his neck tightly as the door bent with the force.

"Kai, don't do anything stupid!" Tala shouted, aware of what his brother was doing while he stepped back and kicked at the door to get it open.

Kai didn't move, holding Stan up off the floor by his neck as Tala finally broke Ray's door in.

"Tala!" Ray cried again as the redhead stumbled into his room.

He could hardly hold his head up long enough to look at him, the room was in disarray. Glass was broken all along the floor, more of his things had been broken and he was left laying there in the middle of it all. His shirt was torn, some of his hair had been pulled out and laid around him in the rest of the mess. His blood had soaked through everything, and there were cuts on the backs of his arms and some on his fingers that were seeping.

Tala swallowed the bile as he stepped in over the mess towards him, kneeling down beside him as tears came to his eyes.

"Call the cops Kai!" Tala called out to him.

"Don't, don't you dare!" Stan yelled in a panic with what little air he had left in his lungs.

"You give me one good reason why I shouldn't?!" Kai yelled in a tone none of them had ever heard before, his grip around Stan's neck getting tighter leaving the man panting and gasping for air.

"KAI! Now's not the time!" Tala called back, his own body shivering from that tone his brother had used.

Kai released his grip on Stan's neck, letting him fall flat on his ass on the ground where he was left rubbing his neck. He moved to go into Ray's room, seeing red no matter where he looked.

"Don't come in here!" Tala said, hearing Kai's heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor. "Just call the cops and the paramedics, get mom and dad!"

Kai froze for a second, he wanted to go see him. See if he was at least alive. He didn't know why but he felt responsible for this, maybe there had been a way to avoid this. If they hadn't come when they did… He didn't want to think about it.

"Kai, hurry up!" Tala called through the room at him.

Kai was pulled out of his daze as he heard Ray's truck start up outside, the front door having been left open in Stan's escape. Kai growled in the back of his throat, storming outside just in time to see the taillights disappear in the distance as the tires squealed as the truck made a right turn down the end of the street.

Kai forced himself to keep going, pulling out his phone as he called 911 while he stormed back towards his house. Natasha and Micah jumped from their spot on the couch, seeing a different look in Kai's eyes that frightened them and worried them at the same time.

"What happened?" Natasha breathed, already getting up and scrambling for the door with Micah behind her.

Kai moved aside, letting them run out towards Ray's house down the sidewalk as the operator finally picked up on the other end. Kai sat down on the steps of his porch, running a hand through his bangs as he relayed the situation out to the operator as quickly and as well as he could. Not even realizing that he had started to shake and tears were running down his face.

When the operator had hung up with him he didn't even realize Tala had come and sat down beside him, pulling him close and holding him against his side. The tears were running down his face harder, his shaking to the point it wasn't controllable now. Tala rocked him a little, trying to soothe him while he fought to get the images of what he had seen out of his head. As much as they wanted this to be a bad dream, both of them knew they weren't going to wake up any time soon.

When Natasha and Micah had gotten there they forced Tala outside, already appalled at what they had seen and it was hard for them to stomach it all just the same.

Twenty minutes later the darkened street was alight with the blues and reds off the ambulance and police cars, a fire truck had pulled up before them and the firemen had rushed into the house quickly. It was all becoming one large blur for the two, not even sure who was coming and going now and it wasn't until the paramedics had pulled Ray out of his home, laid up on a stretcher, did the two of them get up from the steps of the porch.

Natasha and Micah were busy trying to tell everything they could to the cops that were there as their sons approached them, Kai glanced inside the ambulance quickly once he got around behind it just before the doors shut and it was enough to knock him backwards.

"No no no, Kai." Tala called as he rushed to catch him before he hit the ground.

Micah went over to help pull Kai back on his feet, only feeling slightly dizzy from the sight and the anger bubbled forth ten-fold like he had never felt before.

The ambulance rushed down the street, the sirens blaring as it went and they watched it until they could no longer see it in the distance. Over the walkie-talkie the officer was wearing on his breast came a call for an out of control vehicle, the description matching that of Ray's truck that Stan had fled in.

"That's him…" Kai growled out.

The officer nodded, relaying back what was going on quickly through his walkie-talkie before turning back to the others.

"Any one of you want to come with me to make a report?" He asked, pointing at the four of them with his pen.

"I'll go." Micah stepped up away from his sons.

The officer nodded, "You three can follow the ambulance, I can't guarantee that they'll let you see him but it's worth a shot."

"Thank you." Natasha gave him a quick nod back, turning back to her boys and motioned for them to come with her.

Tala pulled Kai along with him, rushing over to their mothers car and got in while she ran inside to grab her purse. Micah met her back outside, kissing each other goodbye quickly before they parted ways.

"Is he alive?" Kai asked, forcing the words out of his mouth as he sat in the back with Tala.

"Yes." Natasha answered as she backed the car out of the drive, throwing it into gear and sped off down the road.

Kai didn't know what prompted him to do it but he pulled out his phone and went to Tyson and Max's contacts, pulling them in a group chat together to let them know what was going on.

Quickly their replies came, all frantic and scared but promising to be there one way or another and that they would meet Kai at the hospital. Kai felt a small sense of relief, he may not have been close to them like Ray was but felt like he needed them there. He knew Ray needed them more than he did though, and them being there for him was all that mattered even if they wouldn't be able to see him right away or at all.

* * *

Ray blinked through the pain and the blinding lights, his head rolling slightly with every turn the ambulance made until it reached the hospital and rolled up to it's emergency doors. He didn't know what was going on, his head was blurry and dizzy. All he knew was that everything hurt, they had covered him with a heavy blanket because he had been shaking so hard and he had bit his tongue several times.

They had tried talking to him once he settled down but he couldn't force the words out, feeling tired on top of everything else that was going on. The voices and the pain kept him awake, his body begging for sleep that they denied him. He hadn't lost enough blood to make it life threatening but he had a concussion from hitting his head on something, the back of his hair was caked in nothing but blood so whatever it was he had fallen on was sharp enough to pierce his skin.

As he was rushed down the halls the lights got worse as they moved overhead but they yelled at him to keep his eyes open, trying to get a name out of him that he could only incoherently mumble out.

Finally the moving lights stopped and he was put in a room, immediately getting more people around him and poking and prodding him with questions and needles while others worked on cutting him out of his clothes. He was too weak to fight back or tell them to stop, he hurt too much to care at this point and just let them do what they needed.

Natasha pulled up to the hospital and found a parking space as quickly as she could, Kai and Tala hardly waiting for her to cut the engine before they were already out of the car and running towards the hospital. She got out and rushed after them, not needing them to get themselves kicked out in their panicked state. She reached them just in time as they got inside, pulling them back quickly from stepping in further.

"I need the both of you to calm down, if you go off they won't let you in." She warned quietly, looking between the two of them.

Tala and Kai nodded to her, letting her step in front of them to the receptionist to ask where they could go to wait. They were directed up to the third floor then directed to another waiting room where other people were sat, looking no better than her two boys were.

A nurse had come and gone to give them an update on what was going on, it wasn't protocol but the boy had no other family they could contact. When the nurse left Tyson and Max were rushing down the hall towards them, Grandpa and Max's parents coming down behind them.

Natasha stood up to greet the other adults, finally being introduced to the three of them as the three boys got wrapped up around each other quickly. Holding on to each other like their lives depended on it, before they went off to another corner together while the adults sat down to talk about what was going on.

"You know, I've always had my suspicions but he never said anything…" Grandpa mumbled out low, hanging his head just as low.

"He's always been such a bright and happy boy, no one would have really guessed." Judy said as there were tears in his own big blue eyes that looked like her sons.

Natasha nodded, she might not have known Ray as long as they did but she felt it too. She had always liked him, even from their first meeting that seemed so far away now.

"He and I were working on getting this settled last week, he had yet to make the official report or anything… I feel responsible for not having him do it right then and there."

Judy reached out and touched her shoulder, "This isn't anyone's fault but that… That…" She couldn't even finish but they all knew who she was talking about.

Natasha nodded, her own eyes going towards Kai in the corner where the boys had sat down. In that moment she felt the weight of what she had been through the past four years with him, knowing that if he hadn't gotten the help he needed then he probably wouldn't be there with her now. She didn't want to imagine him in that room and on that bed like Ray was, but she couldn't stop the images flooding in her head. It didn't matter who it was, no child or person deserved this.

"I will be more than happy to help, when he's recovered." Judy said after the pause between them all, pulling her hand back down from Natasha's shoulders.

"Thank you, he will live with us." Natasha said as if it was already cemented.

"If you can't burden the weight he is always welcomed with us." Taro said on the other side of Judy.

"Hiro is still kickin' it back in college, we have a spare room that no one's usin' if that's too much for anyone." Grandpa said before meeting Judy's eyes, "You have to prepare for that little one, I have the room."

Judy nodded, rubbing her stomach a little. "We'll leave it up to him in the end. Wherever he feels more comfortable."

The others nodded again, that was only fair. Their attention was pulled to the nurse coming towards them, stopping short in front of them all.

"Mrs. Ivanov?" She called, looking between the adults.

Natasha stood up, going to follow her down the hall.

"Mom." Kai shot up from his chair, stepping forward to follow.

"Not yet honey." She said back to him, stopping with the nurse.

Kai nodded and sat back down, pulling his bangs from his face as he felt all of his nerves snapping at once all over again. Tyson and Max put their arms around him again over his shoulders, Natasha following the nurse towards Ray's room again.

"He's going to be okay." Max said, rubbing Kai's back a little.

The three of them going in silence again, not knowing what to say or do at that moment. Kai didn't think opening up to them about the past few days was a good idea, not without Ray there to explain it with him; they were his friends too.

The silence started to feel too thick and suffocating, Tyson hadn't wanted to be the one to break it but his mouth ran off without his brain.

"Who do you think it could be, the father?" Tyson asked, finally pulling his arm away from Kai as he sat back in his chair.

There wasn't much else to discuss and the distraction was more than welcoming for all of them. Tala was left to talk with the adults, having left to call Bryan up and let him know what was going on and came back once their call had ended.

"Well it wouldn't be someone who likes Ray, that's for sure." Max said as he followed suit, tucking his legs under himself to get more comfortable.

"Well that knocks out almost everybody at school." Tyson mumbled, "Why would she lie about it though?"

"Because it was easier to pin the blame on him, than to take the fall on her own. Also, they were together a year." Kai said in a dark tone, pulling his arms around himself like he always did.

"Well it's not his, regardless of what she says." Tyson said as he puffed out his cheeks, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Kai and Max nodded, the three of them going quiet again and the silence was interrupted with Tala's phone going off again where he sat. Quickly he got up, answering it on his way down the hall.

Kai rose a brow watching him leave, it was Bryan's ringtone and more questions as to what was going on flooded his head. The silence coming back to all of them this time as they sat there for what seemed forever, finally Tala came back looking more pissed than what he had been before he went to take Bryan's call.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked, looking up and meeting the redheads eyes.

"They got him… But…" Tala paused, looking around and seeing all the eyes on him waiting. "He wrecked the truck in the process, it's totaled now. He got away on foot for a good mile till the dogs took him down, he's in custody and being processed now but Ray's truck is beyond repair."

"Are you serious?!" Tyson yelled out from where he sat, his grandfather turning on him quickly.

"Now isn't the time Tyson!"

"But Grandpa, we all know how hard he worked for that." Tyson whined out, but really there wasn't anything any of them could do about it.

"I know Tyson…" His grandpa nodded solemnly, "We'll figure something out for him."

"What about the insurance?" Kai asked, shifting where he sat as all the eyes landed on him.

Max shook his head, "He didn't have full coverage, he had to lower it because he wasn't making the full payments on the truck itself. He's always been a good driver so he never thought he'd need it, if it's totaled then it's not going to cover half of what it would need."

"There's other important things to worry about right now boys, and that's _Ray's_ safety." Judy reminded them all.

"We're not saying it's not, it's just… Out of everything else his uncle has done to him, this is just like one last blow and it _really_ sucks." Max said quietly, still shaking his head.

"I know honey." His mother sighed.

Tala took up his seat again, the collective anger between them all could be felt in the entire room around them as they went quiet again. Natasha eventually stepped back into the room, all eyes going to her quickly.

"He's alright, for what it's worth… They put him on some heavy pain medication to help and stitched him up where he needed it…" She stopped, biting into her lower lip to keep herself from crying.

"They said one at a time, if anyone wanted to go in and see him with an adult present."

Everyone turned back towards the three boys in their own little corner while Max and Tyson looked at Kai, who shifted in his seat again.

"One of you two go first."

"Are you sure?" Tyson asked, his mouth dropping a little.

Kai nodded, "Yeah…"

Tyson and Max looked up at each other, "I'll go first." Max said as he pushed himself out of his chair.

Taro got up to go with him, putting his arm around his sons shoulders as they went down the hall once Natasha gave them his room number. She sat back down beside Tala, pulling out her phone to let Micah know what was going on. Tala told her quietly in Russian about the truck issue that he just learned about from Bryan and that they had Stan in custody now, getting a nod from his mother as she sat there watching the screen of her phone for her husbands messages.

Max held his breath, his body tensing under his father's arm as they stepped into the room. The second they were in and the door shut behind him it was like he got punched in the gut, his father not faring any better as they looked at the boy they knew for the past several years laid up on that bed hooked up to several different machines. His hair was pulled back and out of his face that had yet to be washed of the blood in it, his hands and fingers were stitched up, and bandages wrapped everywhere on just about every patch of skin they could see that wasn't covered by the hospital gown.

"Ray?" Max stepped forward on shaking legs towards the end of his bed, putting his hands on the plastic end.

Ray's eyes cracked open, his head still spinning and even more so with the pain medication coursing through him but gave Max a sloppy smile all the same.

"Maaaaax." He said, his voice coming out broken and slurred.

"You're going to be okay." Max choked out.

Ray nodded, "I tried…"

"Tried what?" Taro asked as he stepped behind Max, putting his hand back down on his son's shoulders.

"Fight, run." Ray mumbled incoherently as he shook his head slowly, the drugs making everything feel heavier.

"That's good, you like to run." Max said and Ray's lips upturned into a small smirk.

"Pretty good, too." Ray mumbled out before his head rolled back onto the bed.

"You are, you're the best runner I know." Max said, feeling tears at his eyes.

"Ty?" Ray asked.

"He's here, Kai too." Max answered, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

"Sorry…"

"For what son?" Taro asked as Max had gone quiet.

Ray tried to lift a hand, intending to gesture towards them but it just flopped back down at his side.

"You have nothing to be sorry about here, we're sorry we couldn't help you in time. You know you can always trust us though, with anything."

Ray nodded best he could at him, feeling tears prick at his eyes.

Taro squeezed Max's shoulder before pulling him back, there were others that wanted to see him still.

"I'll see you soon, okay Ray?" Max said as he backed away towards the door.

"Kay." Ray said as he watched him go, trying to smile at him as he went.

Max rubbed his eyes as his father led them back down the hall, Tyson and his grandfather already up and waiting to trade places with them. Tyson's stomach dropped and twisted as Max came up wiping the tears from his eyes and he grabbed his grandfather's hand, Grandpa squeezed it reassuringly before they stepped down the hall.

"Hey buddy!" Tyson stepped in, trying to paint on a big smile for him looking everywhere but at the machines hooked up to him or anything else but Ray's hazed over golden eyes.

"Ty!" Ray smiled at him wide, maybe too wide but that only made Tyson laugh.

"They got you on the good stuff I see."

Ray nodded, he didn't know what good stuff Tyson was talking about but there was a purple duck in the corner of the room that was dancing so it must have been good.

"Want some?" Ray slurred.

"Maybe another time." Tyson choked on a laugh, stepping up where Max had stood with Grandpa beside him.

"So, how long they got you in for?" Tyson asked and Ray's hazed over eyes widened slightly.

"I paid that parking ticket."

Tyson held back the laugh as did Grandpa, "Didn't even know you got one, what was it for?"

"Don't member, was stooped." Ray grumbled after he looked to be in thought for a minute.

"Probably was." Tyson chuckled.

"Hey, Ray my man, you want us to bring you some hamburgers later?" Grandpa asked.

Ray nodded, quicker than he thought he could with how heavy it felt. "Want a milkshake too."

"You got it." Grandpa gave him a warm smile out from under his mustache, "We'll bring it to you tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"It'd melt." Ray frowned.

"Nah, we'll bring it fresh for ya." Tyson said quickly.

"Chocolate."

"You hate chocolate." Tyson reminded in a laugh.

Ray shook his head a little, "Kai likes it."

"We'll get him one too." Grandpa reassured, "We'll bring you a banana, what you like okay?"

Ray nodded again.

Grandpa put his hand on Tyson's shoulder and gave him a gentle tug back, Tyson waved at him and Ray tried to wave back, but his hand had just plopped back down at his side from where it lifted off the bed barely an inch.

"He's gonna be alright." Grandpa reassured as he kept his hand on Tyson's shoulder.

"I know, he's tough son of a bitch." Tyson said as he wiped the tears he had held back and were now falling down his face.

"That he is." Grandpa said with a proud smile on his face as they met the others in the waiting room.

Kai was standing there with Tala beside him, being eighteen made him a legal adult and Natasha was in conversation with Micah over the phone now in the back corner of the room where the boys had been sitting previously.

As Tyson walked past Kai he quickly reached up and patted his shoulder, hoping to give him the strength he'd need in order to go in and see him. Kai didn't miss the friendly gesture but that didn't help his nerves any, Tala was ready to go in and see him and pulled Kai along once Tyson and his grandfather were sitting down again.

They both froze at the door for a minute, each taking in a breath to calm themselves before Tala pushed the door open and stepped in. Like the others it was as if they got punched in the gut, Tala feeling it all over again but it was a better sight than what he had previously saw back in Ray's bedroom.

Ray clocked the two newcomers coming in, tears in his eyes as he saw them through the haze the drugs had created and now his tears.

"M'sorry." He cried out.

Tala's face fell, "What for?" He asked sweetly.

Ray shook his head, it being the only thing he could seem to move at this point. "I tried, I tried."

Kai went over to the side of the bed where there wasn't anything blocking his path, quickly taking up Ray's hand and felt him trying to grab hold but couldn't completely.

"We know, you were trying to get help." Tala said as he took up the spot at the end of Ray's bed.

"I fight, I run." Ray mumbled, fighting back sleep that was now desperately calling his name.

"You fought back?" Tala asked, his eyes bouncing between Kai and Ray for a second before his wolfish grin took over his mouth. "Twizz, that's great."

Ray shook his head, "He knows."

Tala frowned at that as did Kai, "About?"

"Baby… S'not mine." Ray choked on a sob.

"We know…" Kai said, rubbing the top of Ray's hand and drawing his attention towards him.

"Why don't you get some sleep, we'll come see you tomorrow?" Kai said, even though he wanted to stay there for as long as he could.

Ray shook his head, "Don't go."

"I can't stay all night with you. You know I would if I could."

"And you need to sleep, you'll feel a lot better if you do." Tala added, smiling softly at the two of them.

"If he comes back?" Ray choked out.

"He won't, you're safe." Kai told him, his thumb still rubbing against the top of Ray's hand gently as he took in the stitches he had on his fingers.

Ray took in a deep inhale, as if he had been waiting to hear those words all night. Letting his eyes finally slip close, getting lost in the drug induced sleep and Kai's warm hand holding his.

"C'mon, he needs to sleep." Tala said quietly and Kai nodded, not taking his eyes off him slowly drifting off beside him.

Tala turned his back, going to the door to give them some privacy. Kai was a little grateful for the gesture and took the chance to kiss the top of Ray's head, not missing the slight upturn of Ray's lips when he pulled away.

"I love you." He whispered.

Ray mumbled something back to him, it coming out slurred like most of his words.

Kai let go of his hand and went back towards Tala who was holding the door open for him now, the two stepping back out and going down the hall to join the others.

"They're going to hold him tonight and most of tomorrow, if they feel he's good to come home than he's free to choose where he wants to stay." Natasha said once her sons had come back and joined them, locking eyes with Kai quickly.

Kai simply nodded, he didn't have it in him to protest. He wanted Ray comfortable wherever he wanted to live, he wouldn't hold it against him if he picked Tyson's or Max's place over his.

The adults all got up with their respective kids, the small group walking out together and saying their goodbyes outside in the parking lot before they all drove off to their own homes.

Kai's head was pressed against the cold glass of the window beside him, watching the lights of the street lamps roll by overhead. When he got home and ready for bed he laid there unmoving, although he was tired sleep never came to him.

Tala came in less than an hour later, carrying his own pillow and blanket and laid it down beside Kai's bed. Automatically Kai reached down where Tala lay, his brother reaching up and grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze to let him know he was there before they let go and rolled over. Kai's eyes finally slipping closed on him.


	26. Hear Me Now

**Hear Me Now is another song by Bad Wolves, it's really pretty and I think slightly fits.  
**

 **Roy and I Rp'd here between Kai and Ray, for a little bit I was Kai and then we switched to our normal roles.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 26- Hear Me Now. Wednesday, October 31st.

The second Ray woke up he was greeted by two police officers standing there in his room, ready to take his report when he was ready. He declined to talk to them without one of the adults that he could trust there, they got a hold of Judy and she was there an hour later.

"What can you tell us about the attack?" One officer asked, note pad in hand and pen at the ready after taking notes on the wounds Ray now had.

His fingers on his right hand were completely stitched, the officer noted they were from trying to defend himself during the attack, his left hand was stitched but not as badly. There were cuts on his wrists, some up his arms where they could see until some disappeared under the sleeves of his hospital gown. The left side of his face was bruised, where he had fallen on something and just below his hair line were two stitches that ran into his eyebrow. The doctors had given him a list of the other wounds the officer's couldn't see, more were on his back and now he had them on his chest and stomach. His ankle had been sprained and no bones had been broken, thankfully.

"It's kind of a blur, the house phone rang and he answered it. A few minutes later he came in my room, yelling about how I was stupid and some other things. I honestly didn't think much of it, he's done it before." Ray started, thankful that he was off the heavier pain medication for the moment in order to talk more properly.

"I got up, trying to ask him what he was talking about and he hit me in the face with his fist. It knocked me back into my mirror and once I got up I tried to go for him but he grabbed my hair and threw me back. I fell over my chair and while I was trying to get up from it he went and got his weapon, it's a Cat O' nine tails. I was barely standing when he just went off on me with it, I tried to block it from my face…" Ray explained, looking down at the stitches in his fingers.

Judy held her breath as she sat beside him, tears in her eyes.

"What was it he was so upset about?" The officer asked, his badge said his name was Chris.

"My ex is pregnant; the baby isn't mine but she's telling everyone it is." Ray answered, playing with the ends of his hair that was pulled over his shoulder.

The officers nodded while Judy's mouth fell open slightly, rubbing his back a little where she could.

"You think he attacked you, because of this?" Chris asked.

Ray nodded and shrugged at the same time, the pull of his IV's stopping him short. "What I can remember him yelling at me through it all was something about being a man, that if I thought I was man enough to have sex than I was man enough to endure what he was doing." Ray said in a darker tone, his back tensing on him and that only flared the dull pain he could still feel through it and up his neck to his head.

"What else happened?" Chris asked, looking up from his notepad for a second.

"I don't remember much; the pain was too much to really focus on anything. I know that at one point I tried to get the thing away from him and he shoved me down, hit my head on the corner of my side table and that blocked me out for a minute or two. Woke up with him slamming my door behind him as he left, then there was a knock at the front door a few minutes later. I couldn't get up, he had locked my door and said he wasn't done with me."

Judy subtly wiped the tears that finally fell, holding in a shaky breath as Ray explained what had happened. Her hand still rubbing on his back gently, being mindful of what was underneath his clothes.

"How long has this been going on, the abuse?" Chris asked, jotting down his notes on the pad in his hand.

"It was verbal, for most of my life. Up to when I was around seven or eight it got more physical, but the beatings didn't hit their peak until three years ago when I was fourteen." Ray answered, letting go the ends of his hair as he finally looked up and met the officer's eyes.

Chris nodded, jotting it all down quickly. "And you have no other family?"

Ray shook his head no, his neck pulsing with the movement. "My mother died when I was young, father ran off before I was born."

"We'll need to call up a social worker then."

"No, please don't do that." Ray quickly pleaded, "I was looking at emancipating myself from him, I just haven't done the final paperwork for it yet. Please, I don't want to become a ward of the state."

The officers and Judy exchanged quiet glances for a second, Judy clearing her throat a little.

"I'll be sure to handle it." She affirmed.

"Okay, and we have the photo evidence from last night." Chris said as he made another quick note.

Ray's blood ran cold for a second, he had been so out of it that he didn't even know they had taken photos of anything. He knew it was too late to worry about it for long, if anything it would just make the legal part that much more easier now.

Judy saw the two officers out, going back and taking her seat beside Ray and gave him a small smile. Like the others adults she always looked to Ray like one of her own, even the other boys that had become Max's friends.

"I will do everything in my power to help you, you have my word."

"Thank you…" Ray said, looking down at his lap.

"Did you want me to sit with you for a little while?"

"You don't have to, they're just going to come in and look me over and probably give me food." Ray told her, still avoiding looking at her.

"You have my number if you need anything, the others will probably come by later to see you." Judy said as she rubbed his back again and stood up, leaving him there and left with a soft smile over her shoulder before she closed his door behind her.

"How is he?" Natasha asked, having just made it down the hall towards his room.

"Still a bit reluctant right now, but it's understandable given the circumstances." Judy answered, slightly surprised to see her but glad all the same.

Natasha nodded, looking like she had just released a breath that she had been holding for some time.

"Did you talk to him about the living arrangements?" Natasha asked.

Judy shook her head, "I didn't even think about it, the police were here and that's why I was called."

"I saw they had tried to call me, but my phone had been turned off I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, this is a lot to take in." Judy said quickly, not missing the guilty look that had come over Natasha's face.

Natasha nodded a little, the guilty look staying on her face. "I'll talk to him, see what he has to say."

"Okay, this my number if you need anything." Judy said, rooting in her purse and pulled out her business card and handed it to Natasha.

"Thank you." Natasha took it, putting it away in her own purse after glancing at it.

Judy was a lawyer, something they knew Ray would need. They said their last goodbyes before Judy went on her way and Natasha stepped up to the door, giving it a gentle knock and stepped in when Ray gave her permission to enter.

"Natasha." Ray looked slightly shocked to see her.

"How are you doing sweetie?" Natasha asked, dropping her purse in the chair by the door and stepped up to the end of the bed.

"Still hurt, they gave me some more pain meds but it's not helping much. My hair is crusty at the back, and the stitches keep pulling every time I move my fingers." He told her, glancing down at his hands.

"The others have talked and all of us want to give you the option on where you'd like to stay." Natasha said sweetly, looking him over a little and down at his hands quickly. The guilt hitting her in the gut like she had been punched.

Ray looked up at her, wide eyed for a second and his mouth dropped open to speak but nothing came out.

"Take your time in deciding, but you have the options available to you for wherever you think is best." Natasha told him calmly.

"Thank you… For everything you've already done for me…" Ray choked on a sob.

"Of course darling, you're family." She said and reached over and pat his legs that were under his covers, patting them gently before she pulled away and sat down in the seat across from his bed.

"The doctor has told me you'll be able to go home today, what time they're not sure as they want to make sure your head is alright. You fell on something and cracked it open a little, it didn't need stitches, but they want to be careful with it." She explained and he nodded a little.

"If you're not home by the end of school, do you want me to bring the others over?" She asked carefully, gauging his reactions.

"I would like that." He said in a low breath, "Is Kai alright?"

Natasha smiled a little at him, "He's holding out best he can right now, I know things are a bit rocky between you two at the moment but that's just how he is at times."

Ray nodded, "I didn't mean to hurt him, I really didn't."

"It's okay honey, there's a lot going on right now. I remember when I was your age, love was never easy and that doesn't change." She said gently.

Ray blushed a little before a small chuckle passed his lips, "You can say that again… But I really do love him…"

"I know you do, and he loves you just as much."

Ray smiled at that, the two going quiet for a minute before Natasha shifted a little in her chair.

"Janett called me earlier, she says she hopes you recover quickly and that she's not looking at taking the diner. She's already told the others what's going on and they're looking for new jobs right now, so it's up to you what you want to do with it."

"Just let it go, I'm not old enough to actually have it anyways. That's why Stan had it, even if in my mothers will it was to go to me." Ray answered without hesitation.

"We'll look into what needs to be done then, don't worry about it right now. Work on focusing on getting better." Natasha said quickly, getting a nod in return.

She thought about telling him about his truck but didn't want to burden him more, her and the other adults were already looking at putting their money together in helping him put a down payment on a new one anyways.

His nurse came in with his lunch, though he just left it there and shortly after Natasha got up to go get the others from school and get him a change of clean clothes, Tala and Bryan had been able to get some of his things before his house had been roped off.

Ray went ahead and took a nap for a short while, knowing it would be a while before the others showed up and was woken up in the middle of his nap so the nurse and another could wash his hair finally.

He bit his tongue, not wanting to upset them for just doing their jobs but his fidgeting was enough for them to just get it down quickly and leave him for a minute. Leaving his hair sopping wet and now all over the place, coming back with some more pain medication that he took reluctantly.

Natasha came back almost an hour later with the other boys fresh out of school, making sure to get him something to eat on the way there and leaving them to it. Leaving his clothes on the chair by the door, before going to the waiting room so they had the time to talk alone.

Tyson pulled out the bag of food he had stashed up his shirt and had promised Ray he'd get him the night before, as Max handed him his milkshake that he had wanted. Ray looked more than pleased to have it, he wasn't one for hospital food even on the best of days and his lunch the nurse brought had gone cold.

The other three sat around him and waited while he devoured his food, Max and Tyson's eyes clocking the stitches on his fingers and around his wrists, Kai was doing his best looking anywhere but at them as he sat beside Ray's bed on a hard plastic chair. Tyson and Max were at Ray's feet on the bed, only being separated by the tray hovering over his legs where the food sat.

"So…" Max started, clearing his throat and grabbing Ray's attention as he stuffed three fries into his mouth at once.

"They got him, last night… But your truck…" Max continued, figuring it was now or never to tell him now that he was more coherent to what was going on.

Kai tensed, before shooting the blond a glare. Now wasn't the time but it was better than sitting in complete uncomfortable silence. Ray stopped mid chew, the tip of his fries still poking out of his mouth. He quickly swallowed them down almost whole and looked at Max wide eyed.

"What about my truck?" He asked.

Kai's glare intensified but he didn't know what to say to stop Max from talking.

Max swallowed hard, "He wrecked it, it's completely gone."

Ray felt his heart break more. He loved his truck, it was his baby.

"My truck..." He let out, going silent and staring at his feet that were covered under the heavy hospital blanket for a moment before shaking his head and letting out a bitter smirk. Of course his psychopathic, fuckwit uncle would pull a stunt like that.

"But I can hardly say I'm surprised." He said and shook his head, popping in more fries into his mouth.

Max and the other's all cocked a brow at him, that was a bit unexpected.

"Well mom and dad and Grandpa were looking at what they can do to help you get a new one." Max quickly added, hoping to keep him from flipping on them like a switch.

"Natasha and Micah too..." Kai said beside him, pulling his arms around himself.

Since they had come in the two had barely spared each other a second glance, Kai still felt responsible for what had happened to him the night before. If he had just talked to him when he had come over maybe Ray wouldn't be sitting there now, covered in stitches and his hair a mess around him from when the nurses washed the blood out of it. It was slowly drying, but with the length and thickness it was taking longer to air dry.

"Also, they said you can stay with us." Max added, looking more perky than what the situation really called for.

Ray nodded at them, he knew that from when Natasha had talked to him, taking in everything they were saying. One voice standing out in particular. He turned his head to look at Kai straight on, hugging himself almost and looking guilty. Of course he wanted to live with Kai, but he didn't want to feel more like a burden than he was already feeling.

"Thanks guys. But don't worry, I'll figure it out." He said, looking back at the other two since Kai looked away from him and at the wall beside him.

"They said it's up to you, but everyone has offered you a place." Max told him, looking relieved.

Kai nodded, staring back at him for a second since Ray had turned back and looked away again, not knowing what to say. It'd be easier if the other two were gone but he didn't want to take them away from Ray when he needed them, it would be unfair.

Ray's hair was a mess and he was probably hating it right now, no doubt already pissed that someone other than himself had touched it. He kept fighting with it since they had come in the room with him, they should have cleaned it when he was still high on the pain meds.

Kai shifted a little, wanting to do something for him but not sure how he'd take it. It wasn't like Ray could move that well with the needles in his hands anyways, and with his fingers stitched it was probably hard to even close them right now.

Without a word he got up and stood a little behind the head of Ray's bed, carefully pulling his hair around from where it lay over his shoulders and in his way. Max and Tyson just smiled at him, waiting for Ray to bite Kai's head off as he started up a braid quietly.

"So, about Mariah?" Tyson decided to bring up next, pulling Ray's attention towards him before it got ugly.

Ray leaned forward a little, letting Kai's hands get in there and get to work. Thank God, he could feel the mess that was sat on top of his head and it was in the way and getting snagged on everything around him and had left a giant wet spot on the back of his bed.

"What about her?" Ray bit out.

"Well..." Tyson paused and glanced at Max for a second, "Obviously the kid isn't yours, but what are you going to do about it?"

Ray let out a bitter chuckle, "What do you mean what am _I_ going to do about it? It's not my responsibility."

"Well the whole school thinks it is yours." Tyson continued, "We just didn't know if you were going to break up with her or something."

Ray tilted his head sarcastically. "Hmm... Do I want to stay with a cheating bitch and raise another man's child?"

He rolled his head back to watch Kai working on his hair and gave him a small smile. "Why would I do that? Even if it wasn't for the baby and all, things weren't right. Not what they should be. Just took something big to wake me up to that..."

Kai paused, meeting his eyes and giving him a small smile back before getting back to work on his hair. The guilt and weight he had been holding onto feeling like it was lifted.

Max and Tyson exchanged looks between each other and the other two before the collective light bulbs went off over their heads.

"You two didn't have a fight that night!" Tyson practically jumped in his spot on the bed, "You two kissed! You're kissing, dating, you know?! That's where you went off to at Oliver's and where those hickeys came from." He stated proudly, not missing the loving look the two had shared quickly.

Ray laughed at him, "Well aren't you just the little genius?"

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Max asked, looking slightly hurt that they hadn't told them.

Ray lost his smirk, "Well... Because..."

He glanced back up at Kai. They had kissed. They had planted hickeys all over each other. But were they dating now?

Kai saw his hesitation, looking to him for help. He hadn't been much help the past day though, but Ray was giving him a chance now. He cleared his throat, fingers still going down the long damp hair as he looked up at the other two.

"There's still a lot to unpack with everything, we have our own issues on top of trying to figure this out with each other. We didn't tell you because in a way we weren't sure ourselves at the time... I probably didn't help any leaving you there to face Lee either and I'm sorry for doing that to you." He directed more at Ray, his fingers finally coming to the end of his hair where he finished off the braid and moved to sit back down on his chair.

Ray shook his head at him, despite the reminder leaving a flicker of anger. "It's fine... I get it, I guess. Wasn't your battle to fight anyway."

Kai nodded, the weight coming back. "You said that you had tried to fight, did you mean Lee or Stan?" Kai asked him once he was settled back in his chair.

Ray tried to bend his fingers without thinking, stopping when the stinging set in. "Stan. He came after me after Mariah's parents called saying I'd ruined their daughter's life."

The other three nodded, each feeling a collective twist of anger in their guts. It was her fault he was in there, Stan's mainly, but if she wasn't lying to everyone then maybe Ray wouldn't be in there right now.

"How long has this been going on Ray?" Max asked, breaking the momentary silence between them all.

Ray let out a deep sigh. There really was no point in keeping it a secret anymore. "Forever..." He admitted finally, "Since I was like... Seven or so? It wasn't that bad at first, but as time went on..." He drifted off.

Max shifted where he sat by his feet, neither he or Tyson knew how long but he had already guessed it was some time. They met when they were nine or ten, when he had seen the cuts on his wrists and the marks on his back.

"I saw them once, when we were younger. I just didn't know what to say to you about them..." He admitted quietly, Tyson raising a brow at him since he had no knowledge about any of this until now.

"I'm sorry Ray, I should have said something sooner to get you help." Max choked on a sob.

Ray shook his head. The last thing he wanted was all this guilt from everyone. "It's all right, Max. I wouldn't have let you anyway."

Kai made a noise beside him, that was the understatement of the year. "Trust me, I've been trying. This isn't your fault Max."

Max nodded, quickly wiping his face with the back of his arm as Tyson pat him on the back.

"C'mon let's get you some water real quick." Tyson said and Max nodded again, letting Tyson get him up and left the other two alone.

It was pretty clear they needed some time to discuss things between each other, they could come back later.

The moment the door closed Kai felt his body go stiff, they were alone now. It was what he had wanted but now there weren't any words in his head that seemed good enough to say.

Ray wanted to feel his braid, but with his hands all wired up he couldn't admire his handiwork. "Thanks for doing that." He smiled at him.

"Looked like you needed it..." Kai mumbled, watching him trying to move. "Shouldn't do that, you'll pull something." He warned quietly.

Ray shifted where he sat for a minute, now that they were alone there were so many things he wanted to say. A bit thankful that Tyson pulled Max out, he really didn't want their pity even after all this time. It was too much already, being fondled over like he had been since he ended up in the hospital to begin with.

"Why... Why did you leave me yesterday?" He asked in a breath, glancing back up at Kai sitting beside him.

Kai was lost for words. His excuses were hurtful, but the last thing he wanted to do was lie to him. He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"I thought..." He started before he panicked. Slapping himself and holding himself stronger.

"I thought the baby was yours." He spat out before he backed out, "You know... You were so reluctant to leave her and I thought that was why and..." He stuttered, not even sure if that was English.

Ray nodded despite being hurt, "I've never lied to you before, would never lie to you..." He held back from crying, he could see Kai felt hurt for leaving him and he didn't want to wedge that knife deeper into him.

"I was just as shocked as you were when Lee said that, I didn't know what to think but her and I, or anybody for that matter, have never had sex before." He said a bit more strongly, trying to make his point across.

Kai nodded furiously, his eyes watering. "I know that now... I'm really sorry I didn't believe you. So sorry..." He choked as his nodding went to shaking his head, "I didn't mean to do that to you. I just... I don't know, I couldn't think straight about it."

Ray let out a soft chuckle, "What part of you is straight again?"

Kai let out a chuckle back, "Straight as a circle..."

Ray smiled at him, this was better on some level. He moved over, patting the spot beside him with his stitched up hand. Kai obliged, doing as he was told and gently setting himself beside him against his left side, feeling bold and brushing a few stray hairs off his face. Ray leaned into the touch before he nuzzled the crook of Kai's neck, putting his hand over his leg.

"I'm not mad, about any of this... I'm just relieved you and Tala came when you did... You were right, because he was close to..." He stopped himself as his throat clenched up on him, his fingers curling in Kai's jeans past the sting he felt in his fingers as the stitches pulled slightly.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Kai shook his head, "No... He didn't. He was a little too busy trying to breathe." He told him a little smugly.

Ray cocked a brow, "What do you mean?" He shifted away from him to get a better look.

"Had my hands around his throat... Was a shame I didn't get to choke him a little longer." He told him with a low growl.

Ray's eyes widened, that was extreme but he understood. "I'm just glad you're okay then." He breathed out heavily, this was a lot to get over in such a short amount of time.

They went quiet for a minute, Ray wracking his brain for something else before he shifted again slightly, hissing a little as the needles in his right hand tugged too hard.

"I need to tell you something… When I had told you about starting up other paperwork at the courthouse last week, it's for my court case against Brooklyn."

Kai reeled a little. "Against Brooklyn?! What are you talking about?" He asked in a panic, his heart dropping to his toes.

Ray swallowed hard, "That night at the dance, when Bryan had brought me to your house, he had followed me for a short while and we exchanged some words. Then the next day he showed up at my work, knew where I lived now and where I worked so I told him to meet me at the abandoned mall on the side of town. I called Bryan prior, looked up Brooklyn's past record and saw he was on parole." Ray explained, his body slightly shaking on him as he spoke.

"He was there waiting for me, I told Bryan to hold back and wait to see what he would do. Turns out he really wanted me dead, pulled a gun on me and shot it at the mall and then he was arrested." Ray explained, his body still shaking slightly at the memory.

He had been so close to deaths door that night, sometimes he dreamt of it only to wake up in a panic.

Kai's mouth fell open as he took it all in. "A gun..." He stuttered, feeling a mix of way too many overwhelming emotions at the whole story.

On top of him having tried to contact Brooklyn, twice, he felt that stab of guilt hit him in the chest harder almost knocking the wind out of him. He wasn't going to tell Ray what he had tried to do, he had blocked Brooklyn's number now and wasn't going to go down that path again. That didn't stop the fear he still felt for Ray and what he had done though.

"What... How could you have been so stupid!?" He yelled at him.

Ray shrugged at him, he had really lost his damn mind over the past month it was almost like he didn't know who he was anymore.

"I had to do it, I was trying to protect you..."

"He could have killed you Ray!" He yelled at him, "And then what!?"

"Then he would have won." Ray told him plainly, looking up at him unfazed by the yelling.

If Ray wasn't already beat up to hell, he would have hit him. "That was so fucking careless I don't even know what to say to you! You're such an idiot! What if he'd taken you away from me huh?! From all of us! I couldn't live with myself! I'm not worth that!" He continued to yell loudly as his eyes watered.

Before he knew it himself he had turned and taken hold of Ray's face, planting his lips on his roughly. "You're so fuckin' stupid... You complete, fucking..." He didn't know what else to say, everything feeling intense and overwhelming.

Ray pushed back, his own tears breaking out. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were safe." He said as they parted slightly before kissing him again, almost frantically. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't want... Want to have to worry about h-him."

Kai parted for a second too, "And I don't want you to ever worry... About Stan again..." He muffled between heated kisses, his hands still cupping either side of Ray's face.

Ray's hands went to move to hold him back but the pull on his right one stopped him, another hiss escaping him and he pulled away from the kissing.

"Natasha's still helping me, and Judy came in earlier this morning and told me she'd be my lawyer through it all. Including the case against Brooklyn... And Kai." He turned back to look up at him, looking into his equally tear filled eyes.

"You are worth it, I couldn't let him hurt you again."

Kai grabbed his hands carefully, making them go back to where they should be so he didn't hurt himself.

"Just never do anything so careless again." He begged before he planted one more kiss on him, unable to stop himself before he shifted back against the bed with his back, Ray doing the same and leaned into his arm.

Ray nodded, "Are we actually going to do this now?" He asked in a firmer tone, the kissing leaving him slightly breathless like it always did.

Kai blinked while he tried to catch his own breath. "Kiss? Fuck yes." Kai said as he glanced down at him leaned up against him.

Ray smirked up at him, "I meant being a couple, not that I don't mind the kissing."

"Oh..." He let out as he kicked himself, "Well... I want that, if you do?"

"I was working on it, before this." He nodded down at himself, "Can understand if you want someone better though." He said, not looking back up.

Kai rolled his eyes at him, shifting where he brought Ray's head back up, tilting his chin up so they could look at each other.

"Shut up... Dipshit..." He scolded playfully, bringing him back into a quick kiss on the lips.

Ray chuckled, leaning into the kiss again and pulled back slightly before he got too lost into it. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of that... The kissing." He explained with a dreamy look in his eyes, and a small smile on his swollen lips.

Kai chuckled in to it, "Let's see, shall we? For science..." He joked before he ran his tongue along his bottom lip, his hand that had been under Ray's chin going towards the back of his neck to hold him more properly.

Ray leaned in more, happy to oblige, when the door opened and they pulled apart quickly.

"Whoops, we'll come back." Tyson chuckled, pulling Max back out the door with him.

Kai shot a glare at the closing door before looking back at Ray for permission to continue. Ray sighed heavily, somehow the second the door closed it was like the mood got sucked out of the room. He sat back onto his bed more, reaching out and popped a cold stale fry in his mouth from the top of his tray that was still hovering over his lap.

"Everyone's giving me the option to live with them, and I know it would hurt the younger two if I picked one of them over the other." He said in a low quiet voice, popping another fry into his mouth.

Kai sighed. The kissing would have to wait, but rightly so. "Well... What would you rather do?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "I'd rather live on my own, but with the diner going down since Janett doesn't want it I won't have the money I'd need and now I need to get a new truck... Find a new job... Natasha was here earlier too, they said it was up to me but said I could live with you guys too."

Kai lit up a little, he knew Natasha had told him that last night but hadn't wanted to get his hopes us too much.

"I mean... Would you...?" He asked carefully.

"If it was something you were comfortable with..." Ray shrugged again, "You still have Voltaire to deal with, I don't want to get in the way."

Kai shook his head. If anything, him being there would be a huge comfort. "I'd feel better with you around..." He told him timidly, hoping that wasn't too corny.

Ray looked back beside him and smiled a little, "If you're sure about it, I'm a pain to live with." He chuckled a little, feeling the weight he had been harboring about it lift.

Kai lifted a brow, "I'm no picnic either." He told him bluntly.

Ray chuckled, "This whole thing hasn't been a picnic, so I guess we'll be alright."

Kai's hand went back to stroke his hair, unable to keep away from him. "We will be."

Ray sighed and laid his head up on Kai's shoulder again, letting him play with his hair as his eyes felt heavy. He glanced at the clock, it was almost four now. They had been there with him for almost an hour, since school got out, his nurse would probably be back to check on him here soon when all he wanted was to go home and take a shower and sleep.

"How'd you learn to braid anyways?" He mumbled, fighting back a yawn.

Kai gave him a soft smile, "A girl at my first foster home showed me how, thought it would look good on me." He chuckled slightly.

"Hn, I'll have to try it sometime on you then. See if she was right." Ray said as his eyes slipped closed on him.

Kai smirked. Like hell he would let him. He'd look like an asshole. He watched his eyes fall closed and kept stroking his hair gently to try help get him to sleep. God knows he needed the rest. Despite this whole shit show, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Ray was his, finally something was looking up.

Natasha and the others, along with the doctor, came in less than an hour later and roused Ray from his sleep. They went over his wounds again quickly, making sure none of the stitches had pulled and the ones they couldn't stitch were healing on their own. Natasha had signed his discharge papers and a wheel chair had been brought in for him, they left him to dress with the help from his nurse as Natasha and the other boys went down to get his medicine he had been prescribed.

When they came back up he was sat down in the wheel chair, Tyson taking over in wheeling him out.

"So, did you decide who you wanted to come live with? Gramps had me clean up Hiro's room some for ya." Tyson said as he wheeled him down the hall.

"You didn't have to do that." Ray said, looking back up at him.

"Don't worry about it, I told him you'd probably pick Kai or Max's place anyways but he said just in case." Tyson said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"If the offer was still available, Natasha." Ray said, grabbing her attention as she walked beside him.

"Of course it is." She smiled at him, looking up at Kai on the other side of Ray walking next to him.

Tyson chuckled a little, "Wherever you are I don't care, as long as it's safe." The others nodded, that was all that mattered to them.

When they got to the front doors Natasha went to bring the car up under the overhang, Kai helping Ray to stand and get in the back with him as Tyson took the front seat with Natasha and Max on the other side of Ray who sat in the middle. His right ankle had been twisted during the scuffle the night before, but it wasn't enough to keep him off his feet for long but was still hard to move around and was thankful for the help.

* * *

She dropped the younger two off at their homes, Gramps had come out to see Ray and told him he was happy to see him out of there. Reminding him he always had a place there if he needed it, giving some quick words with Natasha and the money he had pulled out for the down payment they would need to help Ray get a new vehicle, not saying what it was out loud but Natasha knew what it was for.

Ray didn't question the exchange at first, but the white envelope Natasha stuffed in her purse did perk his curiosity a little. They waved goodbye to the others as Natasha pulled her car back out onto the road, taking the two boys home now.

"What'd he give you?" Ray asked, unable to hold it in anymore.

"Don't worry about it honey." Natasha said, checking him back in the rear view mirror quickly, "It's just a little something to help right now." She said and moved her eyes to lock onto Kai, not wanting him to spoil the surprise.

"I have some money in my savings, to help." Ray said quickly, it being the only thing he could think of what could be in the envelope.

"Oh honey, don't worry about anything like that. We'll be alright, you hold onto that and when you're ready we'll go job hunting."

"Okay…" Ray nodded, feeling small for some reason as he sat there.

The ride back to Kai's place was quiet, the two holding hands together carefully since Ray's hand was still stitched some and the spot the iv had been stuck in was sore.

When they pulled in the drive Ray looked over at his own home for a second, taking in the yellow tape around the place like someone had been murdered inside it and felt a cold chill run down his back. Kai noticed him frozen to the spot, putting a hand on his back and pulled him along behind Natasha and into the house.

"Tala and Bryan got what they could for you, before they locked the place down. Your things are in Kai's room, if there's anything you need let Micah or me know." Natasha said once they stepped into the house.

"Thank you." Ray said quietly, following Kai down the hall to his room as Natasha went into the kitchen.

When they got into the room Ray just stood by the door, Kai going to his closet where he kicked off his boots inside it and then sat down at his desk and swiveled around and clocked Ray standing there looking frozen.

"You can come in, it's your room now too." He told him with a small smirk.

Ray nodded, his heart racing in his chest as he sat down on the couch by the door and took in the bags and boxes on the floor with his things sticking out of them.

He got down on the floor, pulling them closer being mindful of the stitches in his fingers as he rummaged through everything. There wasn't much, but then again he never had that many things either. His laptop was stuck at the bottom of one box that held his backpack and school books, another box had some of his books and shoes while the bag had his clothes. The jacket Kai had gotten him for his birthday had been brought to him to put on at the hospital, and out of everything he had he was happy that had made it back to him.

"Do you want me to help you put stuff away?" Kai asked, watching him going through everything quietly.

"I don't want to take over your room." Ray said as he looked up at him.

"It's fine, at least get your clothes put away." Kai said as he pushed himself off his chair and went over to him on the floor, taking the bag and dumping it on his bed.

Ray got up and followed after him, putting aside the things that could be put in the dresser and others that could be hung up in the closet. Kai moved some things around in his dresser, hanging up his shirts to give Ray a drawer for his own things.

They worked quietly, Ray putting things in the dresser as Kai hung the other things up and put Ray's shoes on the floor beside his inside the closet. Ray put his laptop under the couch with his backpack and school books, putting the other ones on the bookshelf with Kai's. Natasha came in when they were done, letting them know dinner was ready and to come eat.

Micah and Tala looked up and greeted the two as they came in, sitting down with them around their round table in the corner of the kitchen. Ray was careful, holding his fork, so he wouldn't pull the stitches out from his fingers but there was a slight pain there that he couldn't really ignore.

For the most part the dinner was quiet as everyone ate, Kai watching Ray eat and not missing the slight shake in his hands every time he stuck his fork down into his food. Natasha had cut the chicken breast for him already, making it easier on him, but that didn't stop the tightness in Kai's gut from coming when he watched how hard it was for Ray to move.

"We'd like to talk to you two, when you're done." Micah spoke up, their plates almost empty now and Ray had given up in finishing the rest of his food.

Kai and Ray nodded, their stomach dropping collectively. Tala got the hint and finished his food a bit quicker, taking his plate to the sink and left them to it going to his room down the hall.

Micah cleared his throat a little, sitting back in his chair some as he glanced between the two teens in front of him. Natasha picked up their plates and put them on the counter before coming back and sitting down beside her husband, there was a slight tension in the air but it wasn't enough to make any of them feel uncomfortable.

"Well first off we need to go over some ground rules here, we know the two of you are dating and that's fine with us. But there needs to be an understanding here, that we won't tolerate the two of you having sex in this house. Your door is to stay open now, whenever the two of you are in there." Micah went off quickly.

Kai and Ray both turned bright red, choking on their own spit for a second before they got it down.

"It's a bit early to be thinking about that." Ray said best he could, trying to fight down the blush.

"Even so, we're just laying that out right now." Micah answered, "Also, if you go somewhere you need to let either Natasha or me know." He said, locking eyes with Ray since Kai already knew the house rules.

Ray nodded, that was fine with him. He didn't want to overstep his stay in anyway.

"Also, no more smoking."

Ray flushed again, he didn't even know they knew he had that bad habit but nodded again all the same.

"You don't have to get a job, that's completely up to you on what you want to do but you have to keep your grades up. We expect you to go back to school here, no skipping classes or anything like that. We'll be taking you in tomorrow to get put on your records, in cases of emergencies." Micah explained.

"I'd like to get a job, at least to help where I can and I need to get a new vehicle." Ray said, nodding again as he didn't know what else he could do at the moment.

"We're not asking anything from you honey, but if it's what you want we'll help you look for a job this weekend." Natasha reminded him.

"Thank you…"

"One other thing, and please be honest with us here." Natasha started, looking between Kai and Ray again carefully.

"Is the baby yours?" She finished, Kai narrowing his eyes at her at the question.

Ray shook his head, he had already guessed they would ask him and had been prepared for it. Kai still didn't look happy though, even if he understood why they asked him.

"I'm a virgin…" Ray said quietly, "I don't know whose it is, but it's not mine."

"Okay, that's all we wanted to know. I'm sure that eventually they're still going to come after you for it and we need to be prepared for it when, and if, they do." Natasha said, getting another nod from the two of them.

"Can I ask you something?" Ray said as he lifted his head up a little more, looking at the two adults across from him.

"Of course." Natasha smiled.

"Do I really have to go back to school? I can just get my GED, it would make this a lot easier. Or even do online classes or something."

Natasha and Micah frowned, they hadn't been expecting that and glanced at each other for a minute. Even Kai had looked at him questioningly.

"You'll go farther in life with a high school diploma, we know things aren't going to be easy for you when you go back but you'll have to push through it. Whatever it is. You only have the rest of this year left and then the next, don't throw all your hard work away that easily." Micah said gently.

"You'll feel a lot better walking down that stage and getting your diploma than if you just dropped out now honey, we're here for you no matter what but this is something you need to do." Natasha added in.

Ray nodded, though looked upset at the idea either way. It was worth a shot asking at least, and he did agree with them.

"I think that's all we really needed to say, you just make yourself comfortable here. This is your home now too, if you need anything don't hesitate to just take or ask." Natasha said as she pushed away from the table.

"Thank you… I don't know what to say…" Ray choked out, tears coming to his eyes.

Natasha smiled sweetly at him, going to the counter where his bag of medicine sat and sat them on the table in front of the two.

"Here's your medicine, you remember what the doctor said about them?" She asked.

"Yeah." Ray answered, eyeing the three orange bottles of pills.

"I know you probably want to take a shower but hold off another day, let your wounds and stitches settle more properly." Natasha said before she went over to the sink to wash the dishes.

Micah got up from the table and went to put away the left overs, leaving the two boys sitting at the table for a minute before they got up and left. Kai taking the bottles of medicine to put them in the bathroom, Ray going back to their room and sat down on the couch again.

Kai came back in with some sheets and a pillow in his arms, "You take the bed."

"What, I'm not kicking you out of your bed." Ray said, shaking his head quickly.

Kai smirked at him a little," Take the bed Ray, I'll be fine here."

Ray frowned at him, this was hard but he really didn't have it in him to fight with him about. He pushed himself off, going to the dresser to get his night clothes.

"Okay, but only for tonight. It's your bed, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Ray said once he had his clothes in his hands.

Kai finished making up the couch for himself to sleep on, going over to where Ray stood and pulled him closer by the hip till their chests bumped.

"Don't worry about it, I want to make sure you're comfortable."

Ray smiled up at him, "How did I get so lucky all of a sudden?" He chuckled.

Kai's smirk got a bit bigger before he pressed his lips to Ray's forehead, "I think I'm the lucky one." He said against Ray's skin and pulled back before his parents walked by the bedroom.

Kai let him go after that, taking the time to get himself ready in his room as Ray went to the bathroom to change. They brushed their teeth together and before they went to sleep Kai opened Ray's medicine for him, giving him what he needed while he pulled out his own.

"What's that?" Ray asked, eyeing the bottle in Kai's hands.

"It's for anxiety, helps me sleep." Kai said as he twisted the bottle off the top.

"Oh…" Ray blinked a few times; of course how would he have known Kai had to take them?

"They wanted to put me on antidepressants to, but the side effects of them weren't the risk." Kai said as he popped the two pills in his mouth, throwing back the cup of water that had sat on the counter to get them down.

"I'm sorry."

Kai cocked a brow, setting the cup back on the counter empty. "What for?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders, he didn't even really know why he had apologized so suddenly. Part of him still felt like he was intruding on their lives now, maybe staying with Tyson or Max would have been better but he had wanted to be with Kai.

"Do you go to therapy to?" He asked, doing the same Kai had with his pills and filled the cup back up with water.

"I went a few times, didn't seem to help much so I stopped going." Kai said with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Ray nodded, setting the cup back down once he swallowed his pills. Following Kai back into their room across the hall, the two parting as Kai went and climbed onto the couch and Ray onto the bed on the other side of the room.

Once they were settled Kai reached up and flicked the light switch down, throwing the room in darkness. The two lay awake, staring up at the darkened ceiling feeling like the same as the first time Ray had stayed over all over again. This time it was different, they knew that, but the thought of the next day at school was clear in their heads.

There was still a lot to unpack between them, with their own court cases now down to facing the others at school. At least now, they both thought, they didn't have to do it alone anymore.


	27. You Can't Have it All

**Another song... So sorry... I promised I wouldn't do it but I did cus I can't help myself.**

 **You Can't Have it All is by The Veer Union.**

 **Roy and I Rp'd (again, ya'll see a pattern here yet?) She was Kai and I was Ray near the end and she was also Stan, and did amazing!**

 **Hope ya'll enjoyed these past updates, always love hearing from all of you guys. Will see you on Friday with the next one!**

* * *

Ch 27- You Can't Have it All. Thursday, November 1st- Friday, November 2nd.

Before either of their alarms went off Tala sauntered through Kai's open bedroom door, pausing slightly as his lips upturned into his wolfish grin. Every part of him felt giddy, seeing the two of them laid up on Kai's bed together. His father would flip, if he saw that, but to Tala he thought it was adorable.

The couch had been made, looked like it had been slept in so the only explanation was that Kai got up in the middle of the night and just went back to his bed. He wasn't even under the covers with Ray, just laying on top of him and the sheets with his head under Ray's left arm that was put around Kai's back, with Kai's arm draped over Ray's chest and stomach.

Quietly Tala pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures, he couldn't resist. Putting his phone away he stepped in closer and nudged the corner of the bed with his knee, shaking the two on top a little bit. They both squinted and groaned, Ray's arm around Kai pulling him closer as his face turned and was buried in the two-tone mop.

"C'mon you two, don't want to get caught by mom and dad." Tala cooed quietly, nudging the bed harder with his knee.

"The alarm hasn't gone off." Kai mumbled sleepily, but right then his phone started to go off under the couch he was supposed to be asleep on.

"It is now." Tala smirked, going over and plucking it off the floor and turned it off just in time for Ray's phone to go off on the bedside table.

Ray blinked awake, reaching out to find it until his fingers curled around it and held it up in front of his face as he scowled at the thing for waking him up. Tala sat down on the couch, waiting to see how long it would take one of them to realize their predicament.

Ray squinted at his phone, pulling his other arm up to turn it off and set it back down on the table and went to shift when he finally felt the weight against his side and stomach. Tensing up almost instantly, as Tala's eyes lit up watching Ray's face as he tried to make sense of what was going on all of a sudden.

"Kai…" Ray whispered, not aware that Tala was watching trying not to laugh at the panic in his voice.

"Hn?" Kai mumbled, clearly still asleep even after the two alarms and his brothers pestering.

"You gotta get up…" Ray said, still in that quiet panic.

"Might want to hurry up there Skittles, mom and dad are getting up now." Tala called and Ray jumped where he laid, turning his head finally and his golden eyes went wide seeing Tala there.

"Don't worry about it, I won't tell." Tala laughed, seeing the fear in Ray's eyes and getting a kick out of it.

"I… I didn't even know he…" Ray stuttered out, his face turning red.

Tala just winked at him before getting off the couch and shaking the bed the two were laid on, finally getting Kai to lift his head and glare at his brother through his tousled bangs.

"The hell Tal?" He grumbled.

"You two gotta get up." Tala said with a wiggle of his brows, "Not that you two don't look so cute right now."

Ray tensed up slightly, his face burning as he watched Kai rub the sleep from his eyes. Still clearly not taking in where he was currently laying and more importantly, who he was laying on.

"What're you talking about?" Kai yawned, pushing himself up finally and then his eyes widened as the palm of his hand hit the softness that was Ray's stomach and he jerked back and about hit his head on the wall behind him, his own face turning scarlet.

Ray's nervousness seemed to wash away with that reaction, laughing at him as Tala laughed with him.

"You should see your face there Skittles." Tala laughed, hard, at him.

"I… I didn't even realize… Are you okay?" Kai asked, quickly shooting a glare at his brother and then looked down at Ray who was laughing just as hard as Tala.

"I'm fine, I didn't know you were there either. Those meds really like to kick my ass." Ray laughed back, finally sitting himself up more on the bed as his hair was starting to come undone from it's braid.

"Well might wanna hurry up there Skittles, mom and dad will be out any minute." Tala said as he started to walk out, leaving the two there.

"I really didn't know, I'm sorry." Kai said as he carefully moved over Ray's body to get off the bed.

"It's okay, it is your bed." Ray said as he watched Kai crawl over him, feeling his face get warm again before he pulled the sheets off and stepped onto the floor.

Kai went quiet, not sure what to say after that and gathered his clothes to change into and took them to the bathroom quickly. Ray watched him go, not sure if he just needed time or if this had caused a problem now. He grabbed his own clothes, shutting the door to the room since Kai was in the bathroom and got changed quickly and as well as he could. His fingers still giving him a problem with how much he could bend them, hoping they wouldn't give him a problem during the day.

Just as he settled his shirt over himself the bedroom door opened, Micah sticking his head in as if he was about to catch the two doing something and paused slightly when it was just Ray.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He quickly shut the door before Ray could even say anything back.

Getting his hair out from under his shirt Kai walked inside the room giving him a questioning look, since Ray's face had gone back to being covered by a blush.

"Micah walked in…" Ray answered the silent question.

Kai's brow only reached higher to his hair line, going back and sticking his head out of his door.

(Are you serious Micah?!) He yelled out to him in Russian.

(I was just making sure, I didn't mean any harm.)

(What'd you do?!) Came Natasha's voice in the kitchen, sounding just as angry as Kai's.

(He came in here thinking Ray and I were doing something.) Kai called down at her.

(The door was closed.) Micah defended, though his voice was getting weaker.

(I can't believe you, it's not even been a day.) Natasha scorned, then the sound of her thwacking the newspaper across his head filled the air.

(It won't happen again.) Micah assured, snatching his newspaper out of his wife's hands.

Kai rolled his eyes, slamming his door in defiance. At this point he didn't care. Ray just shifted where he stood, having no clue what had just been said around them, only understanding the names, but didn't miss the scowl on Kai's face as he went to his closest and shoved his clothes into the hamper and pulled out his boots and took them to his bed where he shoved them on angrily. Ray moved around finally, getting his own shoes and pulled them on as he sat on the couch.

"Do you think you could braid my hair again?" Ray asked once he sat up from fighting with his shoe laces.

Kai nodded, pushing himself back off the bed and going to the bathroom to get the hairbrush and a hair tie for him. Ray stood up, turning around for him so he could get to work. It took a minute to get the first braid out, Ray's hair had knotted pretty badly during the night but he was careful not to hurt him.

"He won't do that again." Kai told him, fighting his voice not to sound too harsh but it fell flat.

"It's really okay, it's his home and his rules." Ray reasoned, hoping to calm him down.

It was too early to deal with all this, he hadn't meant to upset anyone.

Kai nodded as he pulled the brush through the long tangled locks, working it through carefully until it was smooth and then started up the braid. Halfway down there was a knock at the door, Natasha peeking inside.

(I'm just doing his damn hair!) Kai bit at her over his shoulder.

(I know, it's fine. You can have your door closed, I was just making sure you two were getting close to being ready to go since it's almost time to leave.) She said gently, hoping not to rile him up more.

"Yeah, I'm almost done." Kai sighed, working his fingers faster through Ray's hair.

Natasha nodded to him even if he couldn't see it and shut the door on her way back out, leaving the two to get finished.

Tying off the end Kai finally stepped back from him and started to run the brush through his own hair quickly, Ray getting his phone and backpack quickly and the two were ready to head out the door together.

In the living room Natasha and Micah were standing at the back of the couch, Micah looking like a child that had been scolded by it's mother as the two approached.

"I really am sorry Ray."

"It's okay, it's your house." Ray quickly answered, not having expected an adult to have apologized to him of all people.

Micah just nodded, following Natasha out of their house when she looked pleased with the exchange. Once settled in the car she pulled them out of the drive, picking something up on the way quickly before taking them to school.

As Natasha put the car in park Ray sat there frozen to his seat for a minute, his nerves kicking up on him suddenly. His hands were covered in stitches, he had missed a day, and there was the issue of dealing with his ex and her brother.

"It'll be okay." Kai said, squeezing his hand gently before throwing the door open and stepping out with his parents.

Ray followed him quickly, pulling his back pack over his shoulder and carefully hefted it up onto his shoulder, being mindful of the new wounds there, and started behind the adults as Kai took up his hand again.

"You need to get to class before the bell rings." Natasha said as they got inside the school, turning around and facing Kai.

Kai nodded, letting Ray's hand go and started off for his locker through the crowd of other kids. Ray watched him go, suddenly feeling alone in a sea of familiar faces that he now realized had been staring and whispering around him.

He shifted his bag on his shoulder nervously, following after Natasha and Micah with his head low and trying to avoid looking at anyone as they walked towards the office.

Kai shut his locker closed once he pulled out his chemistry book, Oliver standing there with Enrique beside him looking like they had been waiting for him to realize they were there.

"How is he?" Oliver quickly asked, barely giving Kai the chance to really register they were there.

"He's here." Kai answered short, blunt, and sweet.

"And what of you two?" Oliver pressed, though he already knew the answer since he had seen them walking in together holding hands.

Kai simply nodded, "We're good."

Oliver smiled brightly, "Glad to hear it, I'll see you for second period." With that he spun around with Enrique and wandered off down the hall for his own locker.

Kai went off to his first period, head up and daring anyone to look his way as he put on his usual hardened look. Most of the kids moved away, the new rumor going up through the school was of him and Ray dating now and that Ray had dumped Mariah while pregnant with his child to be with another boy. Kai ignored the looks and whispering, wasn't the first time he had to deal with nasty rumors that also harbored on truth.

Twenty minutes after the bell rang Ray finally stepped into the ending of first period, taking up his seat after giving the teacher his hall pass. Already he looked tired and worn out, his shoulders were slumped forward and he kept himself propped up against the table with his elbow on the top and his head pressed in the palm of his hand.

As the teacher droned on, finishing up the class, something bounced off the side of Ray's head and landed on the floor by his feet. With a deep sigh he leaned down and plucked it off the floor, opening up the wad of paper.

On the inside, written in big bold letters was the word 'fag'. Kai had glanced at it just before Ray crumbled the paper back up and sat it on the end of their table, leaning his head back in his hand with a huff.

Kai reached down between them, taking up his left hand and held it gently. Ray squeezed his hand as a small smile worked it's way up his lips, looking a little better just before the bell rang. They didn't break the connection as they got up, only having to part when they got into the hall and left each other to their own lockers.

Second period wasn't any better for the two, having to endure the heated stares and harsh whispering around them. The only one who looked happy through it all was Oliver, reminding Kai that he was there for the two of them now and Kai was actually more than happy to have his friendship.

By lunch the two looked exhausted and worn out, the other three giving small words of encouragement in hopes of keeping them going through the day but also reminding them this was just the start.

Not once, to both their surprise, had Mariah or Lee had approached Ray through the whole day. He wasn't going to complain and he wasn't going to seek either of them out, it was done and over already so there was no reason for him to confront her or Lee.

He met Kai at his locker and they headed outside where Natasha picked them up, the day was just getting worse since she told them she had to take Ray to the impound where his truck was to fill out the paperwork for it.

Halfway there he had fallen asleep against Kai's shoulder, his fingers were hurting worse from having to use them and he didn't have any of his pain medication to take. Kai shook him awake when they got there, helping him out of the car and followed after Natasha into the small office.

* * *

"Can I see it?" Ray asked, handing the paper work he had filled out back to the man across the desk.

"Not much to see of it, but I can take you out to her." The man said, putting aside the paper work on the corner of his desk before he stood himself up.

Ray's heart clenched as he got up and followed after him, Kai and Natasha behind him as they were led out a back door where the vehicles were kept. It didn't take long to get where his truck was parked, sat between two other cars that looked no better than his did.

"From what was on the report he rolled it twice down into a ditch through a fence, took out two poles and then rammed it into a tree head on." The man explained.

Ray couldn't even move or take his eyes off his truck, his baby, looking at the crushed in roof and the front end practically sucked in on itself. The windshield was cracked all the way across in spiderwebs, the side mirrors were gone and his drivers door was barely hanging on to the side. The black paint was scratched through, as if someone had dragged razor blades along the sides of it.

Slowly he wedged himself between the car beside his, taking a look on the inside. The steering wheel was blown open from the air bag having come out, the gear shaft was bent upwards where it stuck straight up. The rear view mirror was on the floor where it was littered in pieces and chunks of glass, the back window had broken completely and the glass coated the back seats. His entire dash was cracked and busted up, his radio barely hanging inside the center of it.

He felt bile rise in his throat and tore himself away from it, rage and anger swirling in his stomach. Out of everything that he had to endure this was just one last thing, something he didn't need to happen but it had. There weren't any tears, not even angry ones, as he stormed past the others. Where he was going he didn't know, he just had to get away.

Kai and Natasha exchanged a quick look between each other, the man looking on in silence at the fuming teenager as he slipped back through the door they had come from and watched as the door slammed shut behind him.

"We have the items that were inside it, if you want to collect those?" The man asked through the silence.

Natasha turned back to him and nodded, Kai taking the lead to go after Ray as Natasha and the man followed him. Ray wasn't inside the office, Kai's heart stopping for a minute since he didn't see him and quickly took himself out the front. Ray was already halfway down the sidewalk to the right on the busy street, a plume of smoke being carried away by the wind past his head.

Kai didn't even bother caring about it as he dashed off after him, he just needed to make sure he didn't get lost or hurt.

"Hey..." He called after him gently, avoiding the smoke that was trying to hit him in the eyes as it passed, not helping him while he scrambled for something else to say.

"Not now Kai." Ray barked over his shoulder, somehow picking up speed to get away.

He didn't even know where he was going or why, something in him had snapped to the point he wanted to just hit something.

Kai's brow furrowed, "Hey, come on. Talk to me here." He pleaded as his walk picked up to a light jog to catch him.

Ray stopped, whirling around angrily to face him. His right leg was bouncing slightly where he stood, his cigarette sucked down to the butt.

"About what? What's there to talk about?!"

Kai shrugged at him. He made a good point. It's not like he couldn't see why he was upset.

"Just... Whatever is going through your head right now. I know this is shitty, I do."

Ray worried his bottom lip, his whole body twitching slightly with the pent up anger. Cars were speeding by, blowing gusts of wind past them as a small silence came over them. What even was on his mind? Hell he couldn't pick one topic to sit on right now.

"Just... God I don't even fucking know! I knew it would be bad, but seriously?! After everything else I've had to go through?!" He yelled, not wanting to yell at him but it helped slightly just to get it out.

Kai didn't react to the yelling, he knew it wasn't aimed at him. "I know..." He told him sympathetically, "One thing after another... But he's gone now, you won't have to worry about him again. It's over."

"No it's not, this is just the fucking start." Ray shook his head, his leg still bouncing as it itched to turn him around and run. "Why couldn't he have just died in the damn thing, save me this extra bullshit?!"

Kai shook his head at him, "There's no way he'll get out of it this time. I know there's some more to come, but it's also the start of you being free from him."

Ray nodded, finally crushing the cigarette under his shoe. Pulling out his pack again and lit one, sucking it down quickly. He knew Kai hated it but he needed it right now, he'd just have to deal with it.

"Should have done it last week... God I'm a fucking idiot, I'm still making payments on the damn thing! How the hell am I going to be able to afford another one?"

Kai approached him slowly, debating whether or not touching him would irritate him more or comfort him.

"We'll all help... I promise it's going to be all right."

Ray shook his head at him, "It's not everyone's burden to bear. I can't ask more of Natasha and Micah, or the others."

He decided to chance it, reaching out and touching his face softly to test the waters. "You're not asking. We're giving. It's not a burden, we care about you."

Ray sighed heavily, leaning into the touch a little as his shaking subsided slightly. "I'm sorry, I just... Everything is just a fuckin mess..." He pulled away and stepped back from him, "Just give me a minute, please?" He asked, practically begging to be alone right now

Kai's hand stayed in the air where his face was for a moment before letting it come back down. "I don't want to leave you like this... If you don't want to talk, that's fine. But please let me stay with you?"

He'd made the mistake of leaving him to deal with Lee by himself. He promised he'd never do it again and he meant it. Even if what Ray was up against was his own head.

Ray debated it, finishing his second cigarette before he nodded a little. "Might want to let Natasha know." He said and turned back down the sidewalk.

Kai nodded, lazily pulling out his phone to send her a message while following behind him, keeping himself a few paces behind. He didn't want to leave him alone, but personal space was something he understood and respected.

Digging for his pack in his pocket again Ray let out a low growl, one left. Obviously the world was trying to make him hate everything at once, and it was working.

"Fuckin perfect..." He grumbled, sticking it between his lips and lit it up as they came to the end of the street, stopping for the crosswalk and jabbed his finger in the button for the light.

"Could just step right out there and end it." He mumbled low.

"Don't think I haven't thought about it..." He replied to himself as he blew out the smoke he had been holding in through his nose, making him look like an enraged dragon.

Kai's entire body clenched on him in a panic. He dropped his phone, lunging at him and grabbing him by the shirt and pulled him away from the edge of the sidewalk, spinning him around to face him.

"You ever say anything like that again..." He growled at him as he shook him, not caring about the heavy smoke in his face or the near burn from the lit end.

Ray plucked his cigarette out from his mouth, holding it off to the side so he didn't accidentally get burned by it.

"Fuckin hell Kai, what's your problem?" He asked, pushing him off with his free hand.

Kai's eyes watered. What he'd said scared the hell out of him. He couldn't lose him. "I never want to hear you say anything like that again! You hear me!? You're better than that!"

"I didn't say anything." Ray defended before it hit him, he probably did and hadn't realized it, again. "Don't worry… I wouldn't do that to you, or the others. I'm sorry." He quickly apologized, hoping that would help.

"Then why did you say it!?" Kai asked heatedly.

"Because I have thought about it..." He mumbled, looking away from him in shame. "I say things I don't mean, you know this by now. Just because I say something like that doesn't mean I plan on going through with it."

"Well don't fuckin' think it!" Kai bit at him.

Ray nodded back, unsure of what to even say to that. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, he didn't think he had. Normally if there was someone around him he didn't do that, for several reasons, then again today had been one shit storm after the other. He wasn't that surprised it came out.

"I'm sorry..." He tried again.

Kai's face softened. "It's all right just... Don't scare me like that..."

Ray held his hand out for him to take, hoping to make this one shit storm less in the sea of many.

Kai took it in a heartbeat and held on tight, "I love you. You know that, right?"

Ray swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding as tears pricked his eyes finally. "I do, I love you too." He choked, trying to squeeze Kai's hand but his stitches pulled.

Kai nodded back, making his grip a little loser as his fingers brushed over the stitches in Ray's hand. He saw the crushed, empty carton poking out of Ray's pocket and smirked a little. He had just the thing to lighten the mood, or Ray's at least.

He reached back into back his pocket and pulled out a fresh one, he had a feeling Ray would puff on them like a train after everything. He hated it, always would, but if it helped him cope; he would look the other way for him just this once.

Kai dangled them in front of him playfully, God bless his idiot older brother for buying them for him the day before. Ray paused for a second, taking in the pack dangling before him like some God-send from the heavens. He could hear the trumpets and the angels singing, seriously how did he get so lucky all of a sudden?

"Are you kidding me?" He asked, still a bit perplexed. "H-How did you even get them?"

Kai shrugged. He loved his brother, but _he_ wanted to be the hero right now. "I have my ways..."

Ray took them, more like snatched them, they were even the same brand! "Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked in a chuckle, putting the pack away in his empty pocket for later.

Kai bit back the proud smile, pleased with himself. "Hmmm no... Think you should do it some more."

Ray smirked, flicking the dead one away he had been holding onto and turned to Kai and pulled him closer. Thankfully he wasn't that much shorter, but he did have to lean up enough to put his lips to his. Holding his breath so Kai didn't gag on the stench of tobacco. Unfortunately Ray's effort was wasted, he still reeked of it, but that wasn't important right now. Kai kissed him back and pulled away painfully slow.

"Don't think I'm gonna make a habit of doing that..." He smirked at him.

"Didn't think you would but thank you." Ray said as he pulled away, finally the rest of the world coming back to him after those few moments of bliss.

The fact that they were still standing on the end of a sidewalk on a busy intersection and had missed the light to cross hitting him quickly, looking slightly embarrassed all of a sudden at the bold public display right there.

"We should probably go back now, I think Natasha has waited long enough."

Kai gave him a cheeky smirk, pulling him in for another smoky kiss. "She can wait just a little longer..."

More than willing and happy to oblige Ray lent up to meet him again, putting his arms around his neck best he could without flinching through some of the pain that coursed down his back from the new and old wounds from two nights before.

Ray kissed him quickly and hard, pulling back before they got too lost into it and took Kai's hand back up. Taking them back down to the impound where Natasha was waiting for them, in a better mood than what he had originally been in. Though the reminder of it all was still there in the back of his head, etched into his skin.

"One step at a time." He told himself in a breath, pushing past the pain in his fingers to hold Kai's hand tighter.

* * *

The moment they were back home Ray flopped down on the couch in the living room, passing out the second his head had rolled against the back of it. Today had been one hell of a ride. Natasha could smell the smoke on him, telling him he needed to take a shower before Micah came home and that was his plan but at this point he just didn't care. He'd deal with whatever punishment Micah had planned for him, he just needed to rest a little.

Kai left him there, going to their room to get some homework done while Natasha started dinner up. Tala came home a bit later, waking Ray up enough to get him in the bathroom before their father got home and smelled him. Reluctantly Ray got up, dragging his feet to shower. How he was going to wash properly was beyond him but he did what he could, his body aching from head to toe and when he stepped out he popped in two of his pain meds to help.

Towel drying his hair and dressed in a baggy shirt he had just grabbed from the closest and loose fitting shorts, he stepped into the hall as Kai was coming out of his room. Kai gave him a quick and not so subtle look over with a smirk on his lips, seeing him wearing one of his shirts, before he stepped past him and down to the kitchen.

Ray's face flushed, quickly stepping into their room and tossed his dirty clothes in the closet on top of the others in there, taking note to do them tomorrow when they got home from school since they were piling up. He stepped into the kitchen with his hair a little less wet and joined everyone at the table, their plates already set out for them.

He had done this thousands of times with Tyson and Max and their families before but somehow this one felt different, he didn't know how or why but it did. He wasn't ungrateful for the others or anything, there was just this fizz in his stomach that made him feel different about it this.

The dinner was peaceful and quiet, Natasha figured that's what the two needed after such a long day but there were still things that needed to be done.

"Tomorrow we're taking you to the courthouse to start the official paperwork" She said, looking up at Ray who sat across from her at the little round table.

"Okay…" Ray nodded, his hold on his fork getting lax.

"It won't take long, but it needs to get done sooner than later. Kai, you'll be going to school." She said, quickly looking at him as she addressed him, giving him a look that dared him to protest.

"Fine…" He huffed in a sigh, there was no point in trying to argue with her over it.

"We also have something for you Ray." She smiled, pushing herself away from the table and collected the three white envelopes off the top of the fridge.

She was hoping to give it to him later, when they had more, but wanting to take away the sting of earlier she felt now was better.

Ray watched her curiously, brow raised in question as she sat the envelopes down in front of him as she sat back down across from him. He just stared at them, unsure what to do for a minute before he picked the top one up and opened it. His eyes going wide and slammed it back on the table.

"I can't take this!" He exclaimed.

"You can, and you will." Natasha said firmly, "We'll take you this weekend to go look, that's for the down payment."

"I… I don't know what to say…" Ray choked out, how could he form any words that meant enough to show how much he appreciated this from them and the others?

"You don't have to say anything son, just that you keep to your promises of what we discussed earlier." Micah said as he met Ray's eyes.

Ray nodded, there went Kai's present for him earlier getting chucked out the window. He had hoped to make those ones last, making them his last pack at least.

"Thank you." He wiped the tears with the back of his hand before they had any chance to fall out.

Natasha and Micah smiled at him gently, the family of five going back to finishing the rest of their dinner. Ray forced Natasha away from the sink, taking over doing the dishes for the night as his way of thanks, not letting Kai help out either. She bid her boys a good night, leaving them there with Micah following after her. Tala wasn't far behind his parents, wishing his two younger brothers a good night before he slipped off into his own room.

Finally with the prying eyes gone Kai stepped back up to Ray, still at the sink washing the dishes, slipping his arms around his waist as he leaned his chin down on the soft bush of hair on Ray's head.

"How's your fingers?" He asked, looking down at them barely holding the sponge tight enough.

"They hurt." Ray sighed, moving just enough to put the plate in the open dishwasher beside him.

"Then let me do it."

"I got it, let me actually do something for you guys for a change." Ray persisted, plucking off the next dirty plate off the counter and put it under the running water.

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower then." He said and kissed the top of Ray's head before pulling away, leaving him there alone like he seemed to want.

Ray let him go, missing the feeling of him pressed up against him like he had been but felt like he could breathe easier without him there. He didn't want to upset Micah any, risk the chance of being kicked out if he went back on his promises. As much as he didn't want to he knew he'd have to get rid of that pack of cigarettes Kai had gotten him, he didn't need Kai to get in trouble either.

Getting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher he left it there, Natasha told him not to run it, and headed back to Kai's room. He was still in the shower so Ray took himself to the couch to lay on, as much as he liked sleeping in Kai's bed it was still his and he didn't want to run the risk of having a repeat of that morning.

He made himself as comfortable as he could, his pain meds having kicked in a while ago but they were only enough to dull it out, and the stitches in his back kept getting snagged on his shirt. He didn't think it would be a big deal, Kai had seen him shirtless before, so he took it off and stuffed it under the couch and pulled the sheet over his shoulders as he laid out on his side facing the back of the couch.

Within seconds he was asleep, Kai walking in a few minutes later and saw him asleep on the couch. For a second Kai debated about putting him in the bed and thought better of it, he too didn't need or want a repeat of that morning. He slipped under the covers of his bed, setting his alarm and laid down trying to get comfortable as he laid on his back.

This was their second night like this, their second night as an actual couple but he couldn't find it in himself to be happy about it. It was what he had wanted, just not with the events that had led up to it. He still loved him, wanted to protect him and be with him. He just didn't know what else to do about it all yet, it was still new and he wanted it to actually be something long term. He still felt guilty, for a lot of things, the one thing he couldn't find himself to be guilty over was falling in love with him though.

Turning over on his side he watched Ray sleep through the darkness of their room, watching the slow rise and fall of his shoulders quietly. If Micah wasn't being oddly weird about the two of them he'd have him in bed with him, but then again that might just be more uncomfortable with how small it was.

Finally, after what seemed hours, his eyes finally slipped closed and he fell asleep. It wasn't the best sleep he ever had, nor was it the worst, but when his alarm went off he didn't want to get out of bed. It didn't matter if the house was fixing to get caught up in a tornado, he'd happily go with it if it meant staying in bed.

Ray groaned, he hadn't set his alarm on his phone but Kai's had woken him up regardless. He rolled on his back, staring up at the ceiling before pulling his bangs back from his face.

"Sleep good?" Kai asked, finally pushing himself up to sit on his bed.

"My back hurts…" Ray answered, rolling over to face him.

"Should have taken the bed." Kai smirked at him.

Ray shrugged his shoulders at him, "It's fine, I'll get used to it." He yawned slightly before pushing himself up and off the couch to get ready for the second longest day of his life.

Kai's eyes slightly widened as the sheet that had been around Ray fell, leaving him exposed and he felt like his throat closed up on him. It wasn't that Ray didn't have a shirt on but more of the stitches and the new wounds that littered his chest and stomach, he hadn't seen them yet since the attack.

Ray noticed him staring, it bringing him to the realization of what Kai was staring at and looked like he wanted to kick himself. He hadn't wanted Kai to see them, at least not until the stitches dissolved more and the better ones had scarred over more properly.

"I'm sorry…"

"What for?" Kai asked, Ray's voice pulling him out of his stunned staring.

"I…" Ray paused, he didn't even know what he had been trying to apologize for now.

"It's okay." Kai said as he got up to meet him in the middle of his room, "It wasn't your fault." He said as he rested his hands over his hips carefully, being mindful of the few lashes there that were healing over on their own.

Ray nodded a little before he tilted his head up and pecked him on the lips, pulling away from him before they got into trouble since the door was open and he didn't know when someone would walk by.

They split up again, Ray going to the bathroom to change while Kai stayed in his room. Micah didn't bother checking, not needing to face the wrath of his wife, as he left the house for work. Natasha would have to take Ray alone to the courthouse to get things taken care of without him.

After a somber breakfast the family parted, Kai having to take the bus while Tala went off to college and Ray climbed in the car beside Natasha.

An hour turned into two until two turned into four and by the time they finally got out of the courthouse, paper work filled and his fingers hurting again, Ray and Natasha finally stepped outside where they both took in a heavy intake of air. This was just the start, not everything was done right yet but as he kept telling himself; one day at a time.

"Would you like to get something to eat?" Natasha asked as they started down the steps of the courthouse.

Ray glanced across the street where the county jail sat, where he knew where his uncle was being held for the time being.

"Actually, can I see him?" He asked, stopping on the step behind her.

Natasha froze for a second before she spun around to look at him, "If that's what you want, I don't think it's a good idea though."

"It's not… But…" Ray trailed, eyes drifting back over towards the county jail again.

Natasha sighed heavily, stepping back up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go." She said and started them back down the stairs together, directing him towards the other building quietly.

* * *

Stan still held his puzzled face as he waited for the heavy door to buzz open, a guard on either side of him. What the hell did Ray want to see him for? To gloat? Guess he'd find out.

The buzz finally came and the door opened, feeling the pull of the guards leading him in and showing his nephew sat behind a thick, glass barrier. He held his strong stare with him the entire way and sat down across from him, yanking at the phone and shoving it to his ear, waiting for the little shit on the other side to do the same. He just wanted to get this over with and get back to his cell...

Ray put on a brave face, it finally hitting him that he was actually doing this but it was too late to get up and leave. Natasha and had told him not to, he didn't listen when he should have.

Slowly he pulled the phone off the side of the metal wall beside him, putting it to his ear. He could hear his heart beat in his head and forced himself not to tremble as he stared back into those uncaring eyes.

"Why?" He bit out best he could, leaning forward slightly.

Stan rubbed his slightly sweaty face irritably. He hadn't had a drink since they'd brought him in here. His head hurt too much to make so much as a simple thought.

His lips curled in to a snarl. "Why what?" He bit impatiently.

"Don't even play with me, that's not why I'm here." Ray growled back, his nervousness washing away quickly.

That was going to be his answer? He wasn't surprised, but hell he didn't want to be there longer than necessary either.

"Why did you do what you did to me? For thirteen years Stan, look at my fucking hand and tell me why!" He yelled, throwing up his free hand and pressed it against the glass that separated them, showing off the stitches that adorned his fingers and the back of it.

Stan leaned closer to the glass, looking through at his hand and in to that face he wanted to hit. "Because you deserved it you little _rat_!" He hissed, "Thirteen years you've leeched off me, taken of my life!"

Ray's heart slammed in his chest as it dropped into his stomach, after all this time he figured it wouldn't have hurt to hear him say something like that but it did. It never got better. Why he had hoped for something different here he wasn't sure, always had hoped apparently.

"I never asked to live with you, it's not my fault!" He yelled, pulling his hand back since clearly his uncle didn't care.

"And you're the one that leeched off me! You've taken everything I've ever made, _I_ supported you! If it wasn't for mom's diner you'd have been swimming up a stream, so don't fucking give me that!" He knew he had to reel it in, he could feel people staring at him.

"All I ever did was support _you_..." He bit out lower into the phone, his grip on it so tight he was surprised he hadn't pulled the stitches out.

Stan narrowed his eyes at him, "Support me!? Damn right you paid your way in my house! And damn right I used your mom's diner to help pay the bills, took in her damn brat!"

"Then why?!" Ray yelled again, that's all he wanted. Why he wasn't sure, it wouldn't change things regardless of what he said to him.

Stan slammed his fist against the glass. That shrieking yell of his never failing to make him feel murderous.

"Because _you_ ruined everything!" He yelled at him, "Your dad didn't want you, your mother didn't want you, _I_ sure as fuck didn't want you, but yet _here you are_!"

Ray flinched as he saw Stan come at him, only being stopped by that glass wall between them and was thankful for it. Slowing his heart rate again he narrowed his eyes, locking them on Stan's heatedly.

"I _never_ asked to be born or dropped into your fucking lap either. If it wasn't for the fact that I still loved you, to some extent, you'd have been put in here a long fucking time ago." He told him in a low deadly tone, one he had never used on him before.

"Not that you'd fucking care, what I felt for you or anything of course. But damn, does it make me smile knowing you're in here and going to _rot_ for as long as I can make you." Ray seethed, a smirk coming to his lips.

Stan peeled his hand off the glass, "You'd better hope they lock me up good... Cause you can bet your ass if and when I get out of here, I'm comin' for you..."

Ray smirked at him harder, leaning back in his chair. "I'd like to see you fucking try."

Stan cocked a brow, "Mighty brave with this glass between us... Don't forget how it ended when you tried to fight back. You won't _ever_ stand a chance."

Ray licked the front of his teeth, staring at him hard but for once his body didn't tense up on him. "You fought with a weapon, I had nothing. Fist to fist, you'd lose and you know it. That's why you always resorted to attacking me like a little bitch." He rolled off his tongue, his smirk unwavering.

Stan's eyes narrowed harder, "Well then... When I get out of here, we'll see, won't we?" He smirked back.

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "That's _if_ you get out. You see, I'm taking everything. The house, the diner, your savings. Anything that was yours, it's now mine. Since you like to take _my_ things, it's only fair. The only thing you'll have is your pathetic name, and that won't be enough to save you."

Stan's face faltered. That couldn't happen, surely it couldn't. He shook himself. He'd never lost to this little shit before and he wasn't going to start now, behind bars or not.

"I'll have the people I know..." He threatened.

"And I have mine." Ray said, looking unfazed. "One is a lawyer, a very good one at that. The other, he's a cop. I also have a lineup of more people than you can imagine or count. Face it Stan, you've lost."

"The only _loser_ in this family has always been you, _boy_!" He fired back, "Your mother was a lowlife who spent most of her time on her back and was still better than you!"

"You _dare_ say that about her?! She was your sister!" Ray shot back up in his chair, "If it wasn't for this glass I'd break every one of your goddamn teeth in." He seethed.

"She was my sister... Didn't change that she was a little whore." He gave him a vindictive smile. "Who knows who your dad is, the amount of hounds she had over all the time there could be hundreds of possibilities."

"I can give a shit less about him, just like I can give a shit less about you. Hope you get used to being fucked up the ass, get to be someone else's plaything for the rest of your life."

Stan's face faltered harder, no longer the smug or nasty grin.

Ray's smirk returned, shifting more comfortably in his seat again. "Well, I'd say this has been fun but I'm not one for lying. Should be proud of yourself for that one though, well done. But I have a boyfriend I need to go greet when he gets home from school, hope you enjoy rotting."

Stan's blood boiled, "Should have known you were a dirty little fag on top of everything else." He bit out.

"You think that bothers me? You can throw insults all you want, but this 'dirty little fag's' boyfriend could have killed you. Be glad he didn't." He said coolly, barely batting an eye at him.

Stan's eyes widened, _that_ was the boyfriend!?

Ray's smirk grew the width of his mouth, loving the look on Stan's face. "Looks like time is up here Stan, I'd wish you well but I really don't feel like it." He hung up the phone before Stan could get a word in, pushing himself back from the wall that separated them and turned his back on him.

Somehow he felt better, that wasn't the closure he wanted but it was what he got and that to him was better than nothing at this point.

He met Natasha outside waiting for him, not missing the concern look she was giving him and he returned the look with a gentle smile and nod of the head. He would always be forever grateful for what she had done for him, he never asked for this from her but now that he had it he finally felt like he knew what a true family was supposed to be like and it was the best feeling in the world.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this! Things might be lookin up for our boys here afterall!  
**

 **Something I took from my own life was Micah coming in on Ray dressing. My husband lived with us shortly after we graduated high school, he slept in my brothers room and in the mornings we'd have breakfast and coffee together before I had to go to work (he worked night shifts) and my dad came creeping through the house looking for us since he didn't see him sleeping in my brothers room. It was the funniest thing, because we could see him stalking around the corner of the kitchen like James Bond (my dad is like 7ft tall and huge, so imagine this cus it's hysterical.) Eventually he came back since he didn't find us in my room and just stared at us for a second before going back to his room. Honestly the funniest thing he's ever done.**

 **Anyways, I'll see ya'll on Friday, hope you guys have had a good week. Mine was long but good because of that trip to my moms. (never again... at least not alone with two kids...)**


	28. First Steps

**Hey guys, just wanted to pop in and give ya'll my love since you've given me yours these past three months! I can't believe that's how long this has been going on and getting the kind of traction it has been, I'm honestly shocked but in a good way. Hope ya'll doin good, as always I love to hear from you.  
**

 **BIG shout out to JuliaFernandezHiwatari, this was her first RP ever and she did AMAZING! As tradition I was Ray and she was Kai through pretty much the entire chapter. Without her ya'll wouldn't have a chapter today, so make sure to give her some lovin too.**

 **Without further ado, enjoy and I'll see ya'll on Monday! Hope ya'll have a good and safe weekend.  
**

* * *

Ch 28- First Steps. Saturday, November 3rd.

On the ride home from the court house, Ray had asked Natasha not to tell the others that he had talked to Stan and she agreed to not say a word to the others. When they arrived home he pestered her enough till she caved, letting him help make dinner for everyone and like the past two nights they ate together with that same familiar family feeling. Things were looking up, they had to at this point.

It was still hard for him to move his fingers much, he still had to rely on his pain medications to keep from hurting too much but he pushed past it. He had been looking forward to going out the next day, to find a new truck, though as the family got ready for bed Natasha said they had to wait but promised to take him the following weekend and he was fine with that; even if it put a small dark cloud over his head.

Like an unspoken rule between the two of them they switched places for the night, Kai taking the couch and Ray taking the bed. Neither put up a fuss about it, figuring it was only fair now but Kai did close his door just out of spite. Micah knew, he didn't say anything, and with the lights out the two finally rested from the long day they had reveling in the idea that they could sleep in finally with the weekend.

Sadly, at four in the morning, Kai was stirred awake as Ray got up and was fussing with tying his hair back. Already he had gotten himself dressed in a pair of sweats and a light jacket, his running shoes on and tied up ready to go.

Kai blinked away the sleep that still clung to his eyes, trying to peer at him through the minimal lighting of the room that was seeping through his curtains and blinds. It took him a minute to realize what he was doing, it was Saturday morning and Ray said he always ran on Saturdays. Apparently that also meant with stitches and a recovering sprained ankle in possibly thirty degree weather.

"What're doing? It's the crack of dark." Kai looked around again, adjusting his eyes. This was ridiculous.

Ray paused with getting his hair up, he honestly had thoughts of cutting it since it was becoming such a pain to do anything with now with his stitches.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I'm gonna go run though, I already told Natasha yesterday and she said it was fine and gave me a key so I could get back in." He told him, looking slightly guilty for waking him up.

"I won't be gone long." He added quickly, finally getting the hair tie wrapped around his hair in a low ponytail down his back.

Kai leaned back into the cushions, listing the pros and cons. With the way Ray was he couldn't go alone. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Give me a minute." Kai finally said, grunting as he pushed himself up. His back was killing him.

Ray watched him a bit stunned, "You don't have to come, take your bed back and go to sleep." He tried, stepping back for him to crawl in the still warm bed.

"And leave a wounded comrade unaccompanied? I don't think so Kon." Kai went to grab his running clothes and headed down the hall to change. Fuck his shivery. This was going to be hell.

Ray just watched him go, being called by his last name kind of throwing him for a sudden loop. Was he in trouble?

He sat down on the edge of Kai's bed, waiting for him to come back as he felt worse now. He really hadn't meant to wake him up, he could go alone like he always had before but wasn't going to put up much of a fight with him about it.

In the bathroom, Kai pulled off his clothes, his mind racing. God he was cranky this morning, and when did he start calling people by their last names? He pulled his shirt over his head and looked in the mirror. Ew, he looked atrocious. Oh well he'd fix it later. Not wanting to keep Ray waiting he roughly put on the rest of his stuff and dashed out. What a way to start the day…

Ray stood up as Kai came back into the room, getting his shoes from the closet and Ray cocked a brow before he smirked. Kai's pants were on wrong side out.

"Hey babe..." He called sweetly, trying not to laugh at him.

Kai glanced at him. Babe? Oh yeah, they were dating weren't they? Where was he today?

"What, let's go. Andale Andale."

"Might want to fix your pants first hun..." Ray said, biting his lip to stifle the laugh that was trying to force its way out.

"And you might want to fix when you decide to run." He retorted, hiding a blush as he left the room. Oh cruel running gods, why?

Ray belted out a laugh once the bathroom door was closed, apparently Kai was not a morning person on weekends. He took himself out of the room, figuring it best to meet him in the living room once he was more properly dressed and ready to go.

A weird sensation started to stir in his gut, this was how it all started between the two of them. He hadn't ever imagined it would have come to this, where they were now, but if anything he was happy it did.

In minutes Kai came trotting down the hall, his hair devoid of gel and eyes ablaze with their signature fire and his pants on right. Once in the living room Kai looked Ray up and down. As much as he despised this, Ray drew him to be better and was thankful Ray saw through his moods. He hoped so anyway.

"Ready?" He asked, approaching him.

"You really don't have to come with me, but for your efforts I'll get you a coffee again." Ray grinned at him, leading the way and opening the door.

The morning cold air hit them and he visibly shook, the wind felt like tiny needles against his stitches but he pushed past it and stepped out to lock the door behind them like Natasha had asked him to do. Once they were outside Kai cupped Ray's hands in both of his gently and blew on them. Noticing Ray flush, he rubbed them with his palms carefully.

"Sounds nice but I'll buy this time. You just take it easy, don't make me have to carry you back." He said playfully.

"Where's the fun in that if we don't work up a sweat?" Ray grinned past his blush, pulling away and started down the few steps of the porch.

He didn't dare chance a look over at his now abandoned home, every time he came outside he would avoid looking at it. There wasn't anything of importance over there now, the tape had been removed recently, he was allowed to go back and get anything he wanted or needed but hadn't done so.

"Let's go this way, there's a different route we can take than last time." Ray said as he turned down towards the opposite direction of his home in a light fast walk, wanting to wait to build up into an actual run once they got further down the road.

Kai cocked a brow. A different route? It wasn't a secret what Ray was doing but he wouldn't push him on it. He knew all too well what that was like, not wanting to see the shelter of his despair either. At hearing Ray call for him he walked after him, the two now walking in sync.

"I brought my music. Wanna drown out the world with me?" Kai playfully smirked at the surprised look on Ray's face. God he was adorable.

"Sure, as long as it's not crap." Ray said, stepping closer to him and slowed down. Maybe running wasn't a good idea after all but being out of the house was making him feel a lot better, like he had some normalcy in this mess.

Kai stopped and glared at him, pretending to be offended, then he scoffed. "That's Tala's area of expertise."

Ray snickered at him, "You really aren't a morning person, are you?" He asked, the two of them coming to the end of their street and directed them down to the right where they rounded the corner of the street.

"Would you like me to lie or tell you the truth? No... Mornings are a bitch and I'm the personification of it." Kai let out a chuckle at Ray's face.

"Ray, darling, if I didn't want to come I would've stayed home." Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPod. "Now put this in your ear." He said as he held out his earbud to him, sticking the other in his own ear.

Ray blushed at the name, even if it was all in jest, as he took the other end and stuck it in his ear, stepping that much closer to him so the cord didn't pull too much. Their hands brushed so he took it up in his, his heart fluttering in his chest.

"I'm still a bit shocked about all of this." He admitted, shaking his head slightly.

"Me too…" Kai gave Ray's hand a small squeeze pulling him along a bit faster, "But I don't regret it."

"I don't either." Ray quickly said, hoping to keep the dark cloud from hanging over the two of them as he could see it starting to come over them for some reason.

Ray followed along, the faint sounds of a song coming through the earbud and smirked at the familiar song. "Did you like them that much you put them on here?" He asked, humming along slightly to The Veer Unions City of the Sun.

"More or less, yeah." Kai could feel his cheeks burn and he was sure it wasn't the dagger-like breeze hitting them. "That, and, I never finished the CD." He internally flinched, wondering if Ray would be upset about that.

"Ah that's a shame, they're really good." Ray said over the music, feeling himself getting lost in it a bit. "Some of it's kind of hard to listen to, given the circumstances."

Kai abruptly stopped, feeling Ray brush into him slightly. "I'm sorry." He tossed their radio to him, "Change it." He instructed when Ray had given him a questioning look.

Ray looked down at the screen and back up at him for a minute, deciding to scroll through the songs Kai had. A lot of them were the ones he listened to, there wasn't anything much lighter that he could settle on and decided to put on Kai's favorite instead. He handed the earbud back to him, letting him place it in his ear before he hit play.

Kai's head involuntarily bobbed along at the familiar beat, "Good choice. Now let's get back to it, before you freeze." He said, watching Ray try not to shake in the cold wind that blew by them.

Ray nodded, keeping the iPod in his hand between them as they started back down the sidewalk until they got to the stop sign. The only thing between them was the music and he didn't mind it being that way, it was going to be a while before they got to the café but for the life of him he couldn't think of anything to say.

As they crossed the street more and more people were waking up, a few cars and trucks already driving by them that he finally took notice of. His heart clenched and his stomach twisted in knots at the thought of his truck, his baby, that was in a pile of rubble now thanks to Stan.

Although he was grateful for the others giving him money in order to get a new one he didn't want a new one, he wanted _his_ truck. Kai looked at him and nudged his side lightly.

"Hey." He waited for Ray to look at him before continuing, "You okay?" He asked as Ray watched a truck drive by them, staring at it until it was out of sight.

"Your truck?" He watched with him until Ray gave a slow nod. "Tell me what you liked about it? What you'd want in a new one?" In truth, Kai was sick of talking. At this point, he just wanted to play his turn at therapist and listen.

"Well..." Ray paused for a minute, finally crossing the street with him. "I liked the seats, they were heated. The radio was pretty nice, since it was touch screen and all and more modern. They said the previous owner had switched the factory one out, I had plans on getting a better speaker system when I had enough saved. It was big enough where I didn't have to worry about getting crushed inside it." He reeled off quietly.

"Ray, dear, speak up- OW!" He said at the elbow to the ribs.

Ray huffed as he stopped, at this rate they weren't going to make it to the cafe without turning into human popsicles. "You're right here, I don't have to speak up you can hear me just fine." He went off, not looking amused.

"I said I wanted to get a better speaker system in it, that the seats were heated and it was big enough where I didn't feel like I would end up buried in it if I got in a wreck." He listed off louder now, "And stop with the endearments, it doesn't suit you."

Kai glowered at him. "…Fine. If that's what you want, Ray. And we'll make sure that's what we look for at the dealership then." Kai put his walls back up. Why did he even try? It was still too early to deal with this.

Ray huffed at him, this was turning into another shit storm that he didn't want or need.

"Yeah, I guess..." He sighed as he shrugged, "Why don't we go home?" He suggested, clearly seeing Kai was still in no mood to actually be awake right now.

Kai took a breath, "Let's keep going." At that he jogged forward, the earbud coming out of his ear with a hard swing.

He needed to keep Ray happy and he would. No matter the cost to himself. Ray rolled his eyes, deciding to take his own out and stuffed the whole thing in his pockets and started after him quickly until he came up beside him. He took the lead since Kai didn't know how to get to the café, guiding them down a few more streets until they were brought to the main road they had been on the first time they did this.

Ray slowed down his jog, coming to the intersection and jabbed his finger into the button for the light. He tried to keep his shaking down, cursing himself quietly for not taking a pain pill before he left. The wind stung his wounds, the air was burning his lungs and he fought from coughing in front of him.

However, Kai noticed and despite wanting to hoist the man into his arms and carry him home, he refrained. Endearments didn't suit him. Bullshit. And Ray was needlessly pushing himself, again. He thought about telling him he was a dumbass but kept his mouth closed, taking the lead across the street once the light turned for them.

Ray followed after him, his legs were killing him but it felt good to actually feel like he was doing something other than just laying around. He had sat still long enough in his opinion.

"You're mad at me." He called behind him, getting to the other side with the café in sight and prayed silently it wasn't crowded. Maybe a coffee would help his cranky boyfriend.

"Nope." Kai finally said as the two approached the café, "What do you want?"

"To know why you're mad at me." Ray said bluntly as he stepped up and opened the door for him.

"Pick your battles, Ray. Now, what do you want from the menu?" Kai walked in, not missing the low growl in his partner's throat. Normally he found it sexy but at the moment it was as irritating as an angry toddler.

Ray rolled his eyes at the back of his head, following him inside. This was stupid and he didn't even know why. Were they even allowed to be butting heads like this after only three days of being together?

"Get me a vanilla frap, I'll get us a table." He said and left Kai to wait in line.

"Got it."

Three days in. They were only three days in and he'd already said something to shut him down. What was wrong with showing he cared, wasn't that what made relationships work?

Ray had pulled him in like a moth to a flame and now he was shutting him out.

When it was his turn he placed the orders and went to find Ray on his phone once he had their drinks. How could he confront him about how he felt, was he overthinking this?

Ray sat his phone down as Kai came over and sat with him, getting the booth they had sat in their first time there. The only good thing out of this was there was no more Brooklyn waiting outside for them.

"Just tell me what I did." He sighed, pulling his drink close and playing with the end of his straw.

Kai licked his lips, rubbing them together. Why was he so apprehensive about things lately? He'd never worried about someone's feelings so why now?

Because he loved him…

He looked at him, firmly locking gold with crimson. "Let me love you the way you deserve. Don't shut me out."

Ray cocked a brow, when did he do that? "I wasn't trying to, if that's what you thought I was doing to you." He defended quickly, "I'm sorry."

"Shoving away my endearments is no way to say you need me. We'll both get used to this, it'll just take some time and effort." He paused, "It's okay."

Kai took a sip of his coffee. After doing so, he smiled. He needed to lighten the mood. Then it clicked.

"Now, tell me about your dream truck."

"I wasn't shoving them away, they just seemed out of place. Like you were mocking me or something, that's all. And maybe it's a bit too soon for them..." Ray explained, still finding his straw to be more interesting than actually drinking from it.

He perked up a little, "Well, if anything it'd just be a bigger and better version of what I had. I wanted to get a lift kit for it too but never had the money, so if I can find one already lifted I'd go for that. Heated seats would be nice again, and I liked the leather instead of cloth since it's easier to clean. Four door, like the other one."

"I'll tone it down then and I wasn't mocking you. I just... Was trying to make you... Feel comfortable a-and loved. I guess." To say he was now nervous would be an understatement, he didn't want to screw anything up but now he felt he had.

Would he still want to be with him now? Shifting his mind's gears he tried to keep to the topic on the truck.

"Sounds good, have you looked at any yet?" He wasn't all that interested in trucks himself but Ray loved them, so he was willing to try and see them how he did.

Ray perked up again and pulled his phone back up, going to the website he had quickly looked up and sat it down between them on the table. Scrolling through to show him a few he had already found that were within his budget range, keeping in mind that he was still making payments on the other one.

"I really like the inside of this one, and it's lifted but the stereo would need to be changed out." He rambled off before going to another one.

"This one has the four doors but they're those stupid inside ones, they don't give enough room when getting in and out but it's the cheapest one." He pointed out, frowning slightly.

Kai leaned forward to get a closer look. Those looked nice and suited Ray, he could picture him in all of them.

"Those look nice and who knows, we might be able to help you out more." He paused, "If not, get the lifted one and I'll buy the stereo."

"You guys have done enough for me as it is, and the others getting the money to help with this already is a lot. I've been able to do things on my own this long, I'm not asking anymore from anyone. I'll get it when I can since I still have to get a new job, I appreciate it though." He told him gently, lest he upset him again, and put his phone back and finally took a drink.

Kai snorted, stifling a chuckle. He knew that'd be his answer. "But what if I want to, Kon?"

"If it'll make you feel better, Hiwatari." Ray answered back playfully, "What's with the sudden use of my last name?"

Kai went red, "I don't know. Guess I enjoy how- how..." He was stuck, how to express it. How? He looked to Ray for guidance. What now?

"I feel closer to you." Kai finally uttered, his heart pounding loudly. Could Ray hear it?

"I'd feel bad if you didn't." Ray chuckled seeing him blush like mad, ducking his head a little to sip at his drink some more. "Think Natasha and Micah would be okay if the others came over?" He asked once he sat back up, leaning against the booth more comfortably.

Kai shrugged, "Not really, as long as we're not too obnoxious. That means no Tyson." He playfully said.

"Be nice." Ray chuckled a little, "C'mon let's head home, we can finish these on the way back." He said, slipping out of the booth and snatching up his drink.

"When hell freezes over." With a wink Kai got up and followed Ray out into the merciless cold.

Fingers crossed the way back would be smoother.

When they finally made it back, frozen to the bone, Ray slipped into the bathroom first to take his medication and jump in a warm shower. Kai went to his room to wait for him, the others weren't up yet since they seemed to be normal people when it came to sleeping in on Saturdays. As he sat on the edge of his bed, waiting his turn for the shower, he ended up laying back and passed out within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

Ray stepped back into their room and saw him asleep on the bed, halfway on and halfway off and smiled at him a little. Maybe now with more sleep he wouldn't be so cranky. He left him there to sleep as he took up the couch, even though Natasha had given him free reign of the house he didn't find it right to just go in there without someone else up.

He took out his phone, checking his accounts and then went back to looking up more trucks. Getting lost in scrolling through the listings for an hour only to be pulled back to reality with the soft tapping on the wall beside his head, snapping his head around he saw Tala looking down at him and smiling.

"Already wear him out?" Tala asked with a soft chuckle.

Ray's face burned, "N-No…" He stuttered, shaking his head. "We just went out for a run."

"And you survived?" Tala said, looking impressed. "He's not much of a morning person."

"I noticed." Ray chuckled as the blush on his face died away, "I thought about waking him up so he could shower, but felt it was best to leave the beast to sleep."

Tala laughed at that, he knew he liked this kid. "Probably for the better, lesson learned I'm sure."

Ray nodded, getting up to follow Tala into the kitchen. "You don't mind if I make something, do you?" He asked tentatively.

"No, make yourself at home Twizz." Tala said as he started up the coffee maker, replacing the filter while giving Ray a concerned look.

"I just wanted to make sure, it's not my place." Ray quickly explained, noticing the look Tala was giving him.

"Yes, it is. This is your home now, mom and dad already said they wanted you to be comfortable and if you want to make eggs or pancakes nobody is going to stop you." Tala said, giving him a gentle look.

Ray just nodded, not knowing what else to say to that as he rummaged through the fridge beside him for eggs since that sounded like a good idea after all. Tala took himself to the table to sit and wait on his coffee, watching Ray go around the kitchen looking for pans and other things he needed.

"How's your fingers and stuff?" Tala asked, watching him carefully so he didn't hurt himself.

"They're alright." Ray said as he shrugged a little, putting the pan down on top of the stove and turned it on. "It's getting a bit easier to move my fingers, not much but it's better than before."

Tala nodded along to what Ray was telling him, "Did Skittles ever give you that present?"

Ray smirked a little, so that was how Kai got those. "He did, but I haven't touched them." He said, motioning behind him towards the open doorway of the kitchen to indicate Tala's parents down the hall.

"Don't worry about it, use them, they'll make you feel better." Tala said, flicking his wrist at him.

"I don't want to make anyone mad at me." Ray frowned a little, "As much as I really want one, it's not worth getting in trouble."

"You won't get in trouble, trust me I know what it's like to just quit cold turkey. It's not good on your body just to up and quit like that, take it slow and ween yourself off of them. Otherwise you'll just end up hurting yourself."

Ray rose a brow, "You used to?"

Tala nodded, "Started when I turned eighteen and could get them myself, Bryan was terrible at it when we first started dating and I just kind of fell into it. Mom and dad made me quit when they found out and it was one hell of a ride, let me tell ya." He chuckled.

"I've tried before, it never worked." Ray told him, shifting back around to get the eggs in the pan now.

"I don't blame you for using them, I can't imagine having gone through what you have. Like I said, use em and enjoy them. I understand."

Ray nodded, as much as he was dying to have a smoke he still didn't think it was a good idea. Micah said no, Natasha seemed to understand, and Kai hated it.

"Well, thank you… For getting them for me." He settled on, his attention on the stove now as the two fell quiet.

Tala left him alone, he knew how much his mother hated being pestered while cooking. Getting up he got himself a cup of coffee, pouring one out for Ray as well and set it down on the counter beside him before taking up his chair again as the smell of the eggs cooking filled the kitchen.

"Well isn't this a nice surprise." Natasha said as she stepped into the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind." Ray said quickly as he whirled around to face her, looking like he got caught doing something he shouldn't be.

Tala rolled his eyes, apparently he didn't get the hint yet.

Natasha just smiled at him, "I don't mind at all honey, make yourself comfortable."

Ray nodded at her, "I'm making enough for everyone, if that's okay."

"Sounds perfect darling, are you making anything else with them?" She asked, stepping up behind him and looking over his shoulder.

Ray shook his head no, he didn't want to pry more into their food than he already had done.

"That's okay, I'll get some sausage and we can make that." Natasha said as she took herself to the fridge and rooted around in it until she found what she was looking for.

"Micah and I are going out today, you boys going to be alright by yourselves?" She asked as she stood beside him, getting the package opened and the pan she needed set out on the back burner.

"We'll be fine Ma." Tala answered.

"Oh, here's the house key." Ray said quickly, digging in his jean pockets for it.

"That's yours now, Micah and I will make a new one while we're out." Natasha said as she slapped the sausage patties down on her pan.

Ray nodded as he slipped the key back into his pocket quietly, the kitchen falling back in silence aside from the sizzling of the grease coming from the patties in the pan. Micah joined them just before the food was done, Tala bouncing up from his chair to go wake up his brother as Natasha and Ray plated the food.

Down from the hall came a slew of angry Russian, Tala laughing through it all as he came back into the kitchen holding his sides.

"He's really not having a good day." He laughed as he took his seat.

"You need to leave him alone." Natasha warned, dropping his plate in front of him before she sat down between him and his father.

A few seconds later Kai came into the kitchen, sending a glare that could kill his brother if it had the power to do so. Roughly jerking his chair out from under the table he sat down beside him and Ray, running a hand through his damp bangs.

"Honey… Are you feeling okay?" Natasha asked, noticing his face was flushed and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Yeah." Kai nodded, moving his eggs around on his plate with little to no enthusiasm. "Just tired."

Ray looked at him, his heart sinking to his stomach as he took in Kai's flushed complexion and dark circles under his eyes. His skin looked wet, like he had been sweating in his sleep and his more ragged breathing. He lifted a hand and placed the back of it to Kai's forehead, he felt as though he was on fire.

"You're running a fever." He stated, letting his hand fall back onto his lap as he felt guilty.

"I'm fine." Kai answered before a bone shaking cough racked through his throat.

"Alright, into the shower with you." Natasha said, standing up and shooing him to do the same.

"Ma, I'm fine." Kai argued, not moving.

"Now mister." Natasha scorned, pointing down the hall.

Kai rolled his eyes, standing up on wobbly legs and took himself back down the hall to the bathroom where he slammed the door shut behind him.

"He went with me this morning…" Ray said, having craned his neck around to watch Kai leave and turned back when the door was shut.

"He'll be okay, it's just the weather getting colder and probably stress." Natasha said as she sat back down in her chair, "There's medicine he can take, and he can sleep it off."

Ray nodded, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. It was his fault either way, Kai wouldn't have been stressing if it wasn't for him being in the hospital and everything else he had put him through.

The table went quiet after that, Kai coming out of the bathroom thirty minutes later and Natasha and Micah were already gone. Tala had decided to go off on his own for the day too, leaving the two of them there alone. Ray cleaned up while Kai had gone back to bed, keeping away from him for as long as he could so he could get some rest.

Ray hadn't even asked Natasha or Micah about having the others over, even if he missed them, Kai didn't need them around with him trying to rest but he was about to go bored out of his mind. There was nothing on TV, his homework was done and his missed assignments were caught up. He wasn't one for sleeping through the day often, especially if he hadn't done much. He turned the TV off after flipping through the channels for a good forty minutes, unsure of what to do with himself now. His Xbox had been left at his house, he could get it but didn't want to go over there again at all, or alone.

Getting himself up from the couch he wandered back to Kai's room quietly, not wanting to wake him up, and dug through his drawer for his pack of cigarettes. The others were gone, who knew when they'd be back. He slipped out front, standing away from the door in the yard and lit one up. His nerves settled, slightly, and against his better judgement he glanced over at his house.

It was probably not the best idea to go over but his legs ended up carrying him over there anyways, only to freeze outside the front door.

"He's not in there… You can go in and get what you want and get out…" He reasoned with himself, his right leg slightly bouncing.

"I know… But still…" He mumbled, sucking down what he could of his cigarette and held it in for second longer before he blew it out to the side.

"Now or never…" He said and jerked the door open, leaving it like that as he stepped inside.

He didn't need to go farther than the living room to get his Xbox and his games, quickly undoing the cords and piling everything up beside him.

"Stan's going to kill you for smoking in the house." He muttered, his back tensing as a car drove by and froze again until he slapped himself out of it.

"He's not here… He's not coming back." He breathed, his nerves about at their breaking point as he stood up and grabbed his things in his arms.

As he stepped back towards the front door his eyes wandered down the hall towards his opened bedroom door, it still hanging off slightly from when Tala had kicked it open. Without wanting them to his feet carried him down there, his cigarette dangling between his lips as he peeked inside.

It was still a mess; the wood was now stained red and the glass was only shuffled around from people coming in and taking photos of it. Seeing it all again felt like he was being pushed back in time to when it happened, hearing himself pleading for it to stop and trying to fight back.

He shook himself again, tearing his eyes away from it all and turned only to be stopped by Stan's opened door. It had never once in his life been opened and curiously he stepped closer and looked in, he wasn't even sure what it was he was looking for in there but it still made his stomach clench. He sat down his things by the door and stepped inside, flicking ash on the floor as he went.

Like his room there was no closet, just a wooden dresser pushed up against the window that faced the backyard to his left. The bed sat in the middle of the room, facing the door, with a TV mounted up on the wall across from the bed. Two simple wooden nightstands on either side of the bed, the room was a mess. Left over beer bottles littered the floor all the way under the bed, the trash can was overflowed with remnants of food and other things that made Ray cringe.

Against his better judgement he went over to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer, it wasn't in there so he shut it hard making the entire thing rock back with the force. Jerking the next one open only to slam it shut again, going to the next one quickly. All four drawers were empty.

"They probably took it." He growled out low, kicking at the dresser.

"And what would you have done with it anyways?" He asked.

He shrugged at himself, "Burn it… Something…"

"Can burn the house down, if it'll make you feel better."

"Tch, and deal with being charged with arson?" He scoffed at himself, stepping back out and picking up his things where he had left them and headed towards the front door.

Outside he spit his burnt out cigarette on the front porch, stepping it out and leaving it there before walking back to Kai's house. With his hands full he pushed the door open with his shoulder, almost jumping out of his skin as Kai stood there with his jacket and shoes on as if he was fixing to leave the house.

"What're you doing? You should be in bed." Ray said, quickly putting his things on the couch as he reached over the back of it and went to him.

"I was going to look for you, you weren't here." Kai answered before he turned and coughed into his arm, his entire body shaking.

"I just stepped outside, c'mon back to bed with you." Ray said, putting his hands on his arms and guided him back to his room.

"You went over there? I would have gone with you." Kai said as he let Ray take him back to his room without a fuss.

"You need to lay down." Ray said, helping him get out of his jacket and pushing him to sit down on the bed so he could get his shoes off for him.

"I can do that." Kai said a bit wide eyed as he watched him kneel down in front of him.

"Let me help you." Ray fussed at him, popping his boots off and stood back up and took them to the closet. "Have you taken anything?" He asked once he turned back to face him, having pulled out the clothes basket from inside to throw in the wash.

Kai shook his head as he laid back down, his entire body feeling like he was being stabbed with needles. His bangs were sticking to his face from sweating again, his lungs felt like they were burning and he could feel the tightness in his chest every time he tried to breathe.

"Okay, I'll get you something. Don't get back up, you don't need to be sick longer than necessary because you want to be stubborn." Ray said as he took the clothes basket, tucked against his side, out with him and put it in the laundry room down the hall before going to the bathroom to find the medicine Natasha had talked about.

"Here, take these." Ray handed him the two large green pills and a glass of water.

Kai sat up and knocked them back, chugging the glass dry and handed it back to Ray. "Where you going now?" He asked as Ray was already leaving.

"Laundry." Ray answered, pausing in the doorway. "Do you want something to eat?"

Kai shook his head, "Can you come back when you're done?"

"Sure." Ray shrugged his shoulders before he left.

Kai laid back down, closing his eyes and praying that the medicine would kick in quick. He hated being sick, it wasn't often that he did but when it happened it really knocked him on his ass. Now he understood about what had made him so irritable and out of mind earlier that morning. Down the hall he could hear Ray starting up the wash and shifted towards the wall his bed was placed against, watching the door for when he came back in until he frowned as Ray sat down on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Ray asked as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, thinking since he had the time he'd look up more trucks.

"You don't want to sit with me?" Kai asked.

"I don't want to get sick." Ray chuckled, causing Kai to slightly pout at him.

"I just want you to sit with me."

"Alright." Ray sighed and went over to him, making himself comfortable against the wall behind him as he scrolled through his phone.

Kai watched over his arm quietly before another coughing fit hit him, turning away from him as the entire bed shook until it was over.

"Sorry…" He mumbled as he laid back down on his side.

"I'm sorry you got sick. Now I have to go to school without you, which sucks…"

"If you got sick with me you wouldn't have to go." Kai said in a slight teasing tone, his chest rattling as he spoke.

"I don't want to get sick, keep your germs to yourself." Ray chuckled, not missing the way Kai had moved closer to him.

Kai went to say something back when Ray shoved the phone near his face, "I like this one a lot, and it's cheap." He said as he showed off the truck he had found.

"It's nice?" Kai tried to be supportive, to him it looked like every other truck Ray had already shown him.

"It's got everything I want, without needing to get a new stereo. Only problem is that it's not at a dealership and I'd have to pay up front for it." Ray sighed as he brought his phone back down over his lap, "I don't have what they're asking."

"See if they'll lower the price."

"I can, but even still it would suck me dry." Ray huffed, backing out of the listing he had brought up.

"I have some in my savings." Kai said as he shifted beside him, trying to get comfortable on his side.

"No, I'm not taking any more money. Not from you, or anyone." Ray said firmly.

Kai rolled his eyes as he put a hand on Ray's thigh, "Let me help, we're going to need something eventually. And if that's the one you like why not get it if we can?"

"Because even with the money from the others, what's left in my savings we'd still need about three K." Ray huffed, "Do you have three thousand dollars in your savings?" He asked, finally looking down at him.

Kai smirked a little at him, "I have a bit more than that actually."

Ray's face fell, "How?"

"Natasha and Micah give me the money that they get for having me here, they take barely half for food and things and the rest is given to me. I get about five hundred a month, they take less than one hundred and I've been putting it back in my savings since I moved in with them."

Ray sat there trying to do the math in his head, Kai had lived with them for four years… He stopped there, he wasn't good with math.  
"I'm not taking your money." He repeated, looking away from him quickly and back to his phone.

"You're not taking, I'm giving." Kai said as he leaned into him, his hand still placed on Ray's leg.

Ray pretended to ignore him, scrolling through his phone quietly until Kai plucked the phone from his hands. Ray breathed out heavily and turned back to face him, not looking amused.

"Kai."

"C'mon babe, let me do this for you." Kai interrupted him quickly.

"You've already done so much though, everyone has, and I've not done anything for any of you."

"You got out of there, you're safe and that's all any of us wanted." Kai answered as he pushed himself to sit up, leaning his back against the wall his bed was pushed against and went back to the listing Ray had showed him.

"I like this one too, it suits you. So let me help." He said as he looked at the pictures more thoroughly, "It has the room you wanted, the leather seats and the radio." He listed off, "And it's big enough you don't have to worry about being buried in it."

Ray didn't know what to say to him after that, they could keep fighting over it in circles but didn't think it would do either of them any good.

"Give the guy a call, see if he still has it and will lower the price for you first. If not, see if he'll hold it so we can look at it tomorrow, you might not even like it once you see it in person." Kai said since Ray went quiet on him, handing his phone back to him.

"I guess. I still don't feel right about this." He said, taking it back and pressing the button to shut off the screen.

Kai arched a brow as the screen went black in Ray's hands, "That's not calling him."

"Let me think about it. Plus you're sick, you don't need to go anywhere." He saw Kai pout. Man he was hard to say no to.

"I can handle being out for less than an hour tomorrow, but you need to call him." Kai pressed, this was like arguing with himself.

"Can't it wait?" He asked in a huff.

Kai grabbed the phone from him, turning it back on and went to the listing and pressed call on the number that had been provided under the listing.

Ray's heart thudded, "You thickheaded dumbass! Why'd you do that?" He heard it ring a few times when Kai held the phone to his ear. He was _making_ him do this?! Ray babbled when someone picked up.

Kai smirked, letting Ray take the phone and sat back to watch until he frowned, he couldn't even understand what Ray was saying. He snatched the phone back and put it to his own ear, rolling his eyes at the glare Ray was giving him.

"Hi, I'm calling about the Dodge you have listed, was wanting to know if you were firm on the price or not and if you're available tomorrow?" He reeled off quickly, pulling the phone away from his mouth as he tried not to cough too hard into it as the man greeted him back.

"No that's fine, what time are you available then?" He asked, watching Ray's face fall and smirked harder. "Sounds good, if you can text me your address I'll get back to you in the morning."

Ray eyed Kai when he was done and had hung up the phone. "Wanna take a guess at how angry I am at you? Wipe that amusement off your face, I'm serious here!"

Kai only smirked harder, "You're awfully cute when you're mad." He teased and tossed his phone back to him, it going off in his hands with the man's address. "And you're welcome, he says we can come by after two tomorrow."

Ray tried to glare but damnit that was sweet. He could feel his face shift somewhere between pissed and touched and according to Kai, who was laughing, it was hilarious.

"Shut up!"

"He didn't go down on the price, so we'll have to pull it out before we go. _If_ you still like it that is." Kai said, deciding to ignore him.

"I- Kai. I can't pay you back for this. I mean, I'm flattered but I think I'm going to text him back and decline. I can't do this to you."

Kai's eyes became intense all of the sudden and Ray had the urge to zip it. "Who said I wanted you to pay me back? That's not what this is Ray, I'm doing it because I love you and eventually we'll need a vehicle of our own." Kai said as he tried to bring down the intensity of his gaze.

He understood where Ray was coming from but he wasn't going to have any of it right now.

"Look, it's better to buy one out right with you still having to make payments on the other. In the long run this is better, especially for one that you like. Now I'm done talking about it."

"But Kai?" Ray watched as Kai let out a painful yawn and laid down, proving his point.

Ray got up and headed for the couch. Would it even do any good? He doubt he'd be able to rest like this now.

"You're that mad at me about this that you left?" Kai asked as he watched him go again, was it really too much to ask that he just sit with him?

Ray turned back around, "I'm not mad Kai, just nervous."

He trusted Kai but despite that, Ray was still second guessing everything. What if Kai was wrong and the financial strain bit him and everyone else up the ass? He couldn't live with that.

"Stop worrying for a day, you just got out of the hospital. I get it, I really do, but stressing over every little thing right now is going to get you sick too." He warned cautiously as he sat up on his side, "I know you're used to doing everything on your own, I get that too, but for once let someone help you here. I'm willing to be that person Ray. If you want this, _us_ , to work then you need to trust me."

"I do!" Ray walked back over to him and sat down. "I swear I do."

Kai put his arm around his waist and pulled him closer, leaning his head against his arm. "Okay, then stop worrying for a second and just let me help."

"Okay." Maybe he could lean on others and not get hurt, maybe Kai was right. "I love you." He whispered out, it was barely audible so he doubt Kai heard it but it just came out; he couldn't help it this time.

"I love you too." Kai mumbled back, dragging Ray down to lay beside him where he could hold him. "Things will get better, I promise. And really, three thousand out of the twenty seven or so I have saved up isn't going to hurt." He said as he shifted more on his side where he could look down at him laid out next to him.

Ray went limp, not fighting this time. "Alright." He said as his head hit a hard surface he recognized. Kai's lullaby-esque heartbeat sang in his ear like mother's tune. He could tell he was happy and that in turn relaxed him completely, he could stay like this forever.

What was he so stressed out about again? It didn't matter since he couldn't remember anything, the slow fall and rise of Kai's chest almost knocking him out for the rest of the day.

Finally Kai let the medicine that Ray gave him and was trying to knock him out work, falling asleep with him wrapped around him. To hell if Micah threw a fit about it, they both needed it right now. He'd talk to Natasha later when they got home about going out tomorrow, get the money they would need regardless and hoped that the truck was what Ray wanted after all.


	29. All I Want to Be

**BLESS YOU ALL! Thank you for your continued support with this, it means SO much to me. We're getting closer, I think, I hope, to an ending here. I'm still trying to iron out somethings here and hopefully we won't be 40 chapters in before the ending hits us.  
**

 **Without Julia again ya'll wouldn't have had another chapter, this time we switched (near the end of the chapter) where she was Ray and I was Kai.**

 **I think that's about it, enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 29- All I Want to Be. Sunday, November 4th.

Good on his promise Kai had talked to Natasha about the truck Ray had found and although she wasn't fond of the idea of going out the next day she agreed to take him, feeling bad that they couldn't do it that day to begin with after she had promised him. Ray just thanked her, going to bed still feeling unsure. Not that he wasn't happy or grateful it was just still too different, he wasn't used to people putting him first or putting himself first for that matter either.

Eventually the nervousness turned into excitement when he finally laid down for the night, Kai taking the bed since it was his night and the fact that he was hacking up a lung every few minutes now. When morning had come Kai got up with him, looking worse now that his cold was actually setting in. He was just as stubborn and unmoving about going with them, they needed to stop at the bank to get his money pulled out anyways and although it was closed inside they were able to use the ATM on the outside.

"Are you sure you want to do this for me?" Ray asked quietly as he leaned into Kai's side a little, sitting beside him in the back of Micah's truck as he drove them towards the sellers home.

Kai nodded, thumbing through the money he had pulled out, counting it quietly in his head. "Yes, now stop asking." He finally said and put the money in the envelope with the rest of what they had from the others, tucking it in the seat pocket of Natasha's seat in front of him.

Ray closed his mouth, taking up Kai's hand in his and brushed his thumb along the back of Kai's hand as they fell in silence. Kai glanced down at the stitched fingers again, they were healing almost perfectly and the redness that had been around them was fading and less noticeable now. It still hurt looking at them, the guilt of letting that happen to Ray overpowering. Ray had told him time and time again that it wasn't his fault but he was yet to believe it, the only thing he could do was keep promising not to let him get hurt again.

The drive to the man's house was a good two hours, the GPS taking them out into the country side where there was nothing but open fields and cows out in the distance. Finally cutting off from the main road Micah turned down a long dirt road stuck between two wired fences with more cows lazily watching them drive by, the truck jerked and bounced the entire way until they pulled up to the house that was sat on a small hill.

Ray's eyes lit up instantly as the truck came into view as they got closer, the man standing outside waving at them as they parked and he was already getting his seatbelt off and jumping out of Micah's truck to greet the man.

"Ray, right?" The man greeted, holding out his hand as Ray bounded up to him and took hold of it quickly. "I'm Paul, thanks for comin out. She's not locked, so just take a look and let me know what you think, key's in the ignition." Paul said as he let Ray's hand go, letting the teenager run over and throw open the drivers door.

Natasha and Micah stepped up to the man, Micah already going a mile a minute about the year and mileage on the truck as Ray climbed up inside. Kai went around to the passenger side and threw the door open, fighting to get his leg up inside to pull himself in.

"Think this thing is tall enough?" He grumbled as he finally got in and sat down, looking back down at the ground that seemed so far away now. How tall was this thing?!

"Can get some running boards, that way we're not tripping out of it." Ray chuckled as he started the truck up, it roared to life with a thunderous boom and Ray grinned from ear to ear. "Ohhhh, did you hear that?"

Kai arched a brow, it sounded like a damn jet was flying overhead. He sat there and watched Ray gush around with the radio some, testing how loud it could go before he turned it back down, his eardrums ringing.

"Did you replace the speaker system?" Ray called over the engine of the truck, sticking his head out the door.

Paul smirked and walked up to him, the kid looked like he had died and gone to heaven. "I did about a month ago, brand new. Radio too, it's got Bluetooth and all that good stuff." Paul told him as he stood beside him, his hips just reaching the bottom of the door frame.

"You wouldn't happen to have any running boards, would you?" Ray asked, it wasn't going to be cheap to buy those but he really didn't want to fall out of it trying to get out.

"I do actually, bought them last week and just didn't have time to put them on."

"How much?!" Ray looked like he was about to bounce right out of the truck at that.

"Just take em, not a big deal. If you got time I can help you put them on before you leave, why don't you come out of there and I'll show you the engine?" Paul said as he stepped back.

Ray nodded, beaming like the sun, and jumped out. Kai stayed where he was, he wasn't risking breaking a leg if he fell.

Paul had a step ladder already brought out with him and set it up at the front of the hood, going back and pulling the latch on the inside and came back around to where Ray was already lifting the hood up. Paul had to yell over the noise of the engine as he talked to Ray, making the kids day even more with everything he was saying.

After another quick sweep through the truck, making sure it was what he wanted and looking at the undercarriage they exchanged money for the title and Paul went off to get the running boards and his tools.

"You know how to get back?" Natasha asked as she stood beside Ray, neither her or Micah wanted to sit around and wait for them to get that done.

"Yeah, if not we can just use our phones." Ray answered, his smile not leaving his face for a second.

"Okay, one of you two let us know when you're on your way home. Be careful." She said and rubbed his back a little before she went off to join Micah in his truck, the two pulling down the long dirt road until they were out of sight.

"You going to sit in there all day?" Ray asked as he stood outside the truck, looking like he had shrunk a few inches outside of it.

"Yes." Kai answered with a smirk on his face, "This isn't my type of thing Ray, you knock yourself out though."

"Gotta make sure you don't fall out on your ass, we'll try not to take too long." He chuckled, shutting the drivers door as Paul approached with the running boards and his tool box.

The two got to work quickly in fear of not having enough light out anymore as it was nearing five. Kai continued to sit, closing his door so Ray wouldn't hit his head on it when he stood up from underneath it. Eventually he had fallen asleep waiting on them only to get startled awake with the familiar boom of the engine as Ray turned the truck on, getting a weak apologetic smile.

"This thing is going to give me a heart attack." Kai huffed, trying to still his frantic heart from its sudden jolt.

"Bright side is we can't sneak out with this thing, it'll wake the whole neighborhood." Ray chuckled, rolling the window down and stuck his head out. "Thank you!" He yelled over the engine.

"Hope you like her! You take care Ray, it was a pleasure meeting you!"

"You too! Thank you again!" Ray called back and pulled his head back in, rolling the window up and then sat there for a second.

"You okay?" Kai asked, watching him seem frozen for a second.

"Thank you." Ray said as he turned to him, tears in his eyes. "This… This has been the best thing anyone has ever done for me…" He choked out a little.

Kai gave him a gentle smile and leaned towards him, getting stopped short by the armrest between them. Ray saw him leaning and met him halfway, pressing their lips together harshly before he pulled back enough to make the kiss more gentle and tender.

"Thank you, a thousand times over." Ray breathed once they pulled away, "I can't even begin to thank you enough for this, or how to even thank you." He added, wiping the few rogue tears rolling down his face.

"I can think of a few things." Kai smirked at him as he settled back in his seat, finally putting on his seatbelt.

"You keep your germs to yourself." Ray chuckled as his face turned red, quickly hooking his own seatbelt over himself.

"After you just kissed me, like _that_?" Kai continued to play along, his own blush coming over his face.

"You deserved it." Ray shrugged and finally put the truck in gear, the second his foot hit the gas the engine gave off another loud roar that shook the entire truck. "I'm never going to get tired of that." Ray smirked.

"The neighbors are going to be pissed." Kai scoffed, "You did put those things on so I'm not going to fall on my ass getting out of here, right?" He asked as he looked down at the ground that seemed so far below him.

"Yes I put them on for you… Almost popped a stitch…" Ray mumbled as he started down the dirt road.

Kai's head turned harshly towards him, looking over his hands quickly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, the wrench slipped and came across my hand. It's just bruised a little but the stitches are fine." Ray answered, shifting in his seat a little since he could feel Kai's eyes raking over him carefully.

"Set the GPS for Walmart." Ray said once they pulled back out onto the main road, the ride a bit smoother in his bigger truck than it had been in Micah's normal sized one.

"Why?" Kai asked, pulling his phone out anyways.

"I want to do something for you guys now, after all you and Natasha and Micah have done for me. I know it's not enough, but it's better than nothing." Ray said, that same smile not leaving his face.

"What're you wanting to do?" Kai asked once he pulled up the app, getting the directions set in his phone.

"Shopping!" Ray said with a cheeky grin, "If you're feeling up to it…" He said, his grin falling.

"I'll be fine." Kai smiled back at him, giving off the first set of directions to get them out of the middle of bum-fuck-no-where.

Two hours later they had finally made it back into their town and pulled up into the parking lot, Ray taking a spot near the back and climbed down excitedly as Kai shimmied his way down to the ground. Even with the running board it still felt like he was going to fall flat on his ass, or his head.

"C'mon slow poke." Ray called as he waited around the back for him.

Kai came beside him and like always Ray took up his hand, practically dragging him towards the doors as he locked the truck behind him. Another two hours and they were coming back out with two carts filled to the brim with bags upon bags, Ray's excitement making him glow.

He crawled up in the bed of the truck, letting Kai hand him their bounty to put in the back, making sure everything wouldn't blow out by putting the heavier things back there and the lighter things in the cab. Kai about had another heart attack when Ray simply jumped off the tailgate, landing perfectly on his feet.

"Can you not do that? What if you landed on your bad ankle?" Kai scorned.

"Sorry…" Ray chuckled, throwing up the tailgate and climbing back into the drivers seat and laughed as he watched Kai trying to get in without falling on his ass again.

"He said he jacked it up ten inches." Ray informed through his laughing.

"Ten? This is like twenty!" Kai huffed as he fell back into his seat, slamming the door beside him.

"Must be harder on you since you're all legs, gotta hike them bad boys up to get in." Ray continued to laugh, turning the truck on and watched a few passerby's jump. He loved this truck!

Kai flushed at the comment, yeah he had legs for days, wasn't the first time he heard that. "Why does one need a truck _this_ big?" Kai asked as Ray guided them out of the parking lot.

"So I can just mow down the cars that get in my way, why else?" Ray laughed.

Kai rolled his eyes, but at least Ray looked like he had gone to cloud nine and wasn't going to come down any time soon.

Getting home was one thing, parking the monster was another. Although Ray hadn't wanted to at first he finally settled in putting it in his old driveway, cutting the engine and climbed out.

"Don't fall." He teased as he watched Kai holding onto dear life at anything he could grab as he got himself down.

"Don't make me regret this." He hissed at him, finally finding solid ground and shut the door.

They gathered what they could from the cab, taking the bags into the house quickly to come back out and get the rest from the bed. Natasha was at the stove, her back turned to them until the sound of the bags rustling made her turn.

"What's all this?" She asked, watching them set the bags down.

"Stuff." Ray answered.

"Ray Kon, you did not?" She scorned lightly, putting her hands on her hips.

"I did." He smirked at her and dashed out the kitchen to get the rest.

Natasha turned her stare to Kai, "Why would you let him do that?"

Kai shrugged, "Didn't think it'd be a problem."

"It's not… It's just… He didn't have to do that." Natasha tried to reason, her eyes going wide as Ray came back in with his arms full of more bags. "How much was this?!"

"Don't worry about it." Ray said, shaking out his arms once the bags were on the ground.

"Did you jump again?" Kai asked as he eyed him.

"Nope." Ray lied and went back out to get the rest.

"Go help him before he hurts himself." Natasha sighed, palming her face.

Kai went after him, catching Ray climbing back up into the bed of the truck.

"She's mad at me…"

"She's not mad, just… Upset. She didn't want you to have to do this." Kai answered as he grabbed the bags Ray was handing to him.

"I just wanted to help…"

"I know, it's not that she's ungrateful she just didn't take you in for you to do stuff like this." Kai explained, hoping he made sense. He really didn't know why Natasha was upset, they were running low on food as it was and it now saved her from going out and doing it.

Ray nodded, his happy mood slightly dropping until he shook himself out of it. "Well, too late now." He said and grabbed some more bags and shimmied his way down.

Kai only nodded, he didn't want to see either of them upset but Ray was right. There was no way in hell he was going to take everything back after all this.

Three more trips to the truck and their bounty had been brought in and they were also tasked with putting everything away, finishing just as Natasha was plating out their dinner.

It was quiet with a slight uncomfortable feeling between them all, Micah had seen the bags and the stocked pantry but he hadn't said anything about it. Ray felt himself shrinking in on himself more and more, not even sure why. He thought he was doing a good thing here, wanting to show them how much he appreciated what they had done for him when he wasn't their burden to bear.

"I'm really sorry Natasha." He said as he looked up at her.

She paused in putting her fork to her mouth, "Whatever for?"

"I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to help…" He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh honey, I'm not upset. I'm grateful, but we just don't want you to have to worry about taking care of us. You take care of yourself for a change, okay?" She said sweetly.

"Okay…" Ray answered quietly, the concept seeming so foreign to him.

The table went back to being quiet but the uncomfortable feeling was slowly lifting, Natasha and Micah went off to bed once they were done and left the other two to take care of the dishes. Tala wouldn't be back until Tuesday apparently, leaving just the four of them in the house.

"How's your hand?" Kai asked as he stood beside Ray, who once again had shoved him away from the sink, while he washed the dishes.

"It's fine, like I said it only bruised it a little."

Kai nodded, standing against the counter with his lower back pressed into it as he watched him quietly until a bone shaking cough worked it's way up his throat.

"You should go to bed, you've been out all day in the cold." Ray turned to face him, "Have you taken anything since we got home?"

Kai shook his head, "I didn't think about it." He answered in a hoarse voice.

"We got some of that drinkable stuff, see if that helps."

Kai nodded and went to the cabinet he had stuffed the box in, getting a mug and filling it with water from the sink before plopping it into the microwave. Another cough shook him down to his toes, for some reason it was just hitting him all at once now.

"I'm just going to take this to bed babe." Kai said weakly once the microwave beeped, taking out his steaming mug and went off to his room.

"Okay…" Ray called after him, feeling terrible.

It was his fault, again, that Kai wasn't feeling better. He had tried to tell him though, told him he didn't need to be outside in the cold yesterday but Kai hadn't listened. Apparently they both were too stubborn for their own good.

He scrubbed the dishes quicker and got them put in the dishwasher ready to go in the morning before heading off to get ready for bed, Kai was already passed out on the bed with his cup of medicine halfway finished. Ray was as quiet as he possibly could be getting his clothes and taking them to the bathroom, dressed and his pills taken and teeth brushed he wandered back into the room and closed the door behind him like Kai had done the night before.

He probably shouldn't have done it, but he wanted to be close to him, and slipped under the sheets beside Kai on the bed. Kai mumbled something sleepily to him as his arm snaked around his waist and pulled him into his chest, Ray's body relaxed a little as he balanced dangerously close to the side and pushed back a little to see if he could get Kai more against the wall to get some room. Kai's body moved until his back touched the wall, dragging Ray with him, giving him the room he needed and he relaxed more fully in Kai's arms.

* * *

Monday, November 5th.

Rei was quick to turn the alarm on his phone off before it went off, not needing to wake Kai up from it and managed to slip out of the bed without him waking up. He had slept like a rock, at some point Kai had rolled over and put his back to him but the closeness he had wanted was still there and more than likely Kai had no clue he had even slept beside him.

Ray didn't want to do this, go to school without him, without much of a choice he begrudgingly got ready regardless. He decided to fight with his hair in the bathroom, not wanting to risk waking Kai up again like he had on Saturday and brushed out the knots that had tangled in the mess and pulled it all back in a low ponytail. With a quick look over his stitches he sighed out heavily, they were starting to dissolve finally but were still noticeable. He checked the stitches in the side of his head, that one had been luckily covered by his bangs mostly and it was looking good like the others.

He popped a pain pill just in case, taking his dirty clothes back to the bedroom to toss in the clothes basket in the closet. Kai shifted and rolled over on his other side, crimson eyes cracking open as a cough shook him more awake.

"Where you going?" He asked in a tired gruff voice, sounding as though he swallowed dirt.

"I have to go to school, it's Monday hun." Ray sighed as he walked over and sat on the edge of Kai's bed, brushing back his slate colored bangs from his face. "You still feel like you have a fever."

"I was going to go with you." Kai said as he tried to lift his head yet the weight of it caused it to just fall back onto the pillow.

"No, you need to rest. I'll get your school work for you so you don't fall back" Ray said and stood up to go, his shoes on and ready to leave.

"I don't get a goodbye kiss?" Kai mumbled, watching him head towards the door.

Ray turned around, backpack slung over his shoulder. "Keep your germs to yourself, I don't need to get sick too. I have to find a job this weekend and go to school, for the both of us now."

Kai pouted at him and rolled over, "Bye."

Ray rolled his eyes and stepped back towards the bed, leaning down and kissing his sweaty bangs. "Bye you big baby, love you."

"Love you too." Kai smirked at him, his heavy eyes falling closed.

Ray closed the door behind him as he left, stepping out of the house after having a quick microwave breakfast burrito and wandered over to his brand new baby. He cringed a little as he started it up, hoping it didn't wake Kai up or anyone else and let it run till the heat started going and pulled out and headed out to school.

He saw the others staring, people whispering again as he stepped through the front doors and kept his head down as he walked through the crowded halls to his locker. As he pulled the door open there were several pieces of paper that fell out around his feet, he glanced at the ones that fell open all with some type of homophobic slur or something else offensive. Some of the handwriting he noticed others he didn't, snatching them up he crumbled them in the palm of his hand tightly and shoved them back into his locker.

"Hey Ray." Max called as he approached him, "You okay?" Max asked, taking in his friend's hardened expression.

"Yeah, I'm alright. What about you?" Ray asked as he got out his things for first period.

Max opened up his locker beside him, doing the same. "I'm doing good, saw that new baby you got. She's beautiful." Max gushed.

"Please, tell your parents that I'm extremely grateful for all that they have done." Ray said as he turned to face him.

"I will. Good news! They're rethinking the divorce because of the baby and all, mom moved back in the night you got out of the hospital." Max informed excitedly.

"That's good." Ray said as he shut his locker, "I'm really happy to hear that Max."

Max smiled at him brightly until it fell a little, "Speaking of babies don't turn around."

Ray's back tensed and he did as Max said, the footsteps behind him sounding louder than the rest of them around him and only glanced out the side as Mariah walked past him without a second look back. Ray released the breath he had been holding, not even sure why he had been holding it.

"You going to be okay?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine as long as she stays out of my way." Ray answered.

"Hey, where's Kai?" Max suddenly asked, more of a distraction than anything.

Ray's face fell a little, looking guilty again. "He's home, he got sick over the weekend. Running a fever and has this really bad cough."

"Oh, that sucks. I hope he gets better."

"Thank Max, I'll see you next period." Ray said and turned from him, waving over his shoulder at him as he started to walk away into the crowd for Chemistry.

Halfway down the hall something thick and hard hit the back of his head, near the back of his neck and the sudden force caused him to fall forward and hit his head against the tiled floor. His stitches in the corner of his forehead split open from the impact, his vision swimming slightly as distorted laughter flickered through his ears until everything went black.

Oliver happened to be walking down the hall with Enrique and had watched Ray hit the ground, unmoving, and they rushed over to him pushing through the crowd.

"Ray? Ray are you alright?" Oliver asked, going to touch him when he saw the blood running down the side of his face under his bangs.

"He needs to get to the nurse." Oliver said frantically, putting down his books as Enrique followed his motions and helped pull Ray up on his feet.

"Oliver?" Ray mumbled, trying to blink away the pain that was coursing through his head. "The hell happened?"

"You fell down, your stitches opened. We're taking you to the nurse." Oliver informed, putting Ray's arm around his shoulder.

Enrique went to step with the two of them, Ray's other arm slung over his shoulder and paused at the misplaced book laying on the floor.

"Who threw this?!" His voice boomed, heatedly looking around the crowd.

Ray tried to open his eyes better, getting a look at the book. It was thick and rough but the words of the title were blurry.

Nobody in the crowd answered him, the laughter having died away and the three were just left with people staring at them. Enrique growled in the back of his throat, Oliver touching his back gently.

(Not now, Ray needs our help.) He spoke gently to him in Italian, Enrique nodded to him and started towards the nurses office.

When Ray's vision came back to him more properly his head was still swimming, the pain in the back of his head searing just as badly as it did at the front. The nurse noticed him stirring awake and went over to him where he was laid up on one of the beds, brushing back his bangs to get a look at the cut on his forehead.

"You took one nasty fall there love, how you feeling?" She asked gently.

"Fall?" Ray groggily asked, trying to sit up more.

"Your friends said you fell down, hit your head and opened your stitches. I had to close it back up with some butterfly stitches since it wasn't that bad, do you need me to call your parents and have them pick you up?"

Ray shook his head best he could, he didn't want to burden Natasha and Micah his second day back at school with something like this. He was sure though that something had caused him to fall, only he couldn't really remember what it was.

"Can I go to class?"

"Sit with me for a bit longer, don't want you to pass out from a concussion." The nurse answered and went to her little fridge in the corner of the room and produced an ice pack and handed it to him.

"Put this on there for a while, it'll help with the swelling and once it's melted you can go." She told him and went back to her desk.

Ray did as he was told, holding it up against his forehead and hissed at the pain he had caused himself.

An hour went by, the bell ringing for second period going off, and the ice pack was still frozen against his skin. He felt more awake now, the pain only minimal in the back of his neck where he had been hit but he wasn't going to chance getting up with the ice pack still frozen.

By the time the bell rang for third period the ice pack had finally thawed out completely and he tossed it in the trash, letting the nurse look his head over again and was finally sent on his way.

At his locker Max and Tyson were there waiting for him, looking sick with worry as he approached them.

"Hey are you okay?" Tyson stepped up to him.

"Yeah, just a bit out of it right now." Ray answered as he popped open his locker and stuffed his Chemistry book in and pulled out his History book.

"What happened?" He asked, shutting his locker and turning to the other two.

"You know that senior Garland? He threw the book at the back of your head, it knocked you off your feet and you hit your head on the floor. Opened your stitches, Oliver and Enrique took you to the nurse." Max explained, having only been told through the grapevine during his first two periods.

"Garland? Why would he?" Ray blinked a little, trying to figure it out until he couldn't come up with a good enough reason.

"Did you want us to go with you and tell the principal?" Tyson asked, looking ready to throw fists with Garland.

Ray shook his head, "No, it's fine I'll handle it." Ray said as he stepped back from them, "I'll see you guys at lunch."

Tyson and Max watched him go, unable and unsure how to stop him when they both knew it was a lost cause to try and fight with him about telling.

Even if Ray wanted to pay attention for the rest of the day his mind was completely elsewhere, the only time he actually tuned in to what was going on around him was at lunch when he was with the others. Oliver and Enrique joining his table like they had been, Oliver fussing over him like a mother for the first half until he finally had enough of it. The last two classes he drowned everything out again, barely staying focused on anything and as the day went on more and more notes had been stuffed inside his locker that he ignored and threw in the trash on his way out.

The somewhat happy mood he had when he left home was now washed away, when he did get home he simply crashed on the couch in Kai's room and fell asleep until dinner. Kai had been awake and asleep on and off, he could tell something was wrong and when he had asked, Ray kept his mouth shut. When they went to bed he stayed on the couch, dreading the next day.

* * *

Tuesday, November 6th.

Going off on auto pilot Ray had gone through the motions of getting himself to school, alone, and like Monday he kept his head down and threw away the new slew of notes that fell out of his locker on his feet. Thankfully he had been able to get through most of the day without having any troubles in the halls or in his classes, getting his first real break in the library where he vented out his frustrations to Mullins through the entire period.

He knew he shouldn't have done it, had promised Micah and Natasha that he wouldn't but he skipped his English class to smoke outside, from a half empty pack he bummed off Rick, just to take the edge off.

He knew, deep down, that he was going to have to confront Mariah and Lee at some point and when Gym rolled around he ended up face to face with Lee. Getting cornered in the back of the locker room, Max and Tyson holding him back from lashing out at him.

"You'll rip your stitches, stop it." Tyson warned, using everything he could to keep Ray's arms from moving past his sides.

Lee smirked at the display, feeling powerful. "Not so tough without your fuck toy around, are you?"

"The fuck did you just say?!" Ray yelled, trying to go after him again only to be stopped by the two holding him back.

"You heard me, and here I thought you were my friend. My _brother_ , now I learn _this_! You disgust me, on more levels than you can understand." Lee spat.

"Don't fucking flatter yourself there Lee, I never looked at you like that. Because there was _nothing_ to see!" Ray bit back, his fists clenched so tight he was surprised he hadn't torn out the remaining stitches in his fingers.

Lee's face fell slightly, stepping up towards him only to get shoved back from Max again. "You cheated on my sister, while she carries your child with that fuck up?!" Lee continued, only stumbling back slightly from the shove.

"You say one more thing about Kai and I'll knock your teeth in!" Ray yelled, trying again to get one of his arms out from Tyson and Max's hold.

"She cheated first, that kid isn't mine!" He continued.

"We'll see about that." Lee chuckled darkly, "You can try and skirt around your lies but you won't fool me, I know you too well for you to lie to me."

"You know _nothing_ about me, what you saw was what I wanted to show you! You think you're tough, think you know anything about what I've been through?! I've been to hell and back and I'm not afraid of dragging you down there next." Ray growled out low and threatening in a tone neither of them had heard before.

"Let him go guys, see if the fag can back that up." Lee said in a patronizing tone.

"Just get the hell back Lee!" Tyson bit.

"Can't you see he's in no position to fight you, over something so stupid?" Max was next, looking like he was sick to his stomach over all of this.

"Maybe his uncle should have beat some more sense into him."

At that the other two let Ray go without a word, stepping back as Ray threw himself at Lee and knocked the two of them on the ground. Lee's head barely missed the benches that were sat between the lockers, his shoulder catching the end and he yelped at the pain that coursed through him.

Ray's grip on the front of his shirt was unrelenting, his other fist coming down and hitting him head on in the center of his nose. All he saw was red as he hit him again before lifting his head up by the collar of his shirt, only stopping from slamming his head into the concrete when a coach stepped around the lockers and had rushed to break them apart.

"What is the matter with you Kon?!" He bellowed, hauling the fuming teen up to his feet. "If I _ever_ see something like this again you're off the team, I'll go to Martin and have him rip you off so fast it'll make your head spin!"

Ray just blinked at the man, his adrenaline rushing through him and almost knocking him out.

"You think I fucking care?!" He yelled, pushing past the man and storming out of the locker rooms without looking back.

The coach huffed, red faced and angry as he jerked Lee up from the floor. "Get yourself to the nurse Wong, you two the hell are you doing just standing there?! Get out with the rest of the class before I pull your asses off too." He barked and Tyson and Max skirted around him towards the gym.

Ray wasn't there, Oliver telling them he just stormed out without a look back and the three of them agreed to just let him go home since there wasn't anything they could do for him.

Once in his truck Ray lit up the last cigarette he had gotten from Rick, sucking it down hard to try and still his shot nerves before he turned it on. He glanced up at the school, blowing out the smoke through the window that he had rolled down and sighed while pulling his bangs back from his face.

He was lucky the coach didn't want to call Natasha or Micah over this, he didn't know how that would play out and he was afraid of knowing. Being one of the schools top athletes had it's perks as it did it's downfalls, even though he had said he didn't care about being pulled off the team he truly did. Not with season fixing to start and it being his other way of release, aside from smoking.

He glanced at the clock on the radio, if he went home now he'd give himself away for skipping class but couldn't sit there in the parking lot for much longer either. Deciding to just drive around until school got out he turned the truck on and threw it in gear, revving the engine as he went. Leaving behind a thick black cloud of exhaust, the noise loud enough it could be heard two streets over.

* * *

Kai's dulled crimson eyes lazily read over a few lines when the familiar roar of Ray's truck came down the street outside, Kai smirked a little to himself. That thing was loud as hell, already the neighbors across the street had thrown a fit about it to Natasha and Micah Monday morning, after Ray left for school, but there wasn't anything they could really do about it. In a way Kai liked it, he knew when Ray was home when he heard it coming down the road.

The engine cut and Kai shifted a bit higher against his wall, watching his bedroom door for when Ray would step inside. He flinched as the front door slammed shut, his breath hitching in his throat. Obviously Ray was pissed, again.

Ray walked in and stormed down the hall to his room, throwing his bag on the floor under the couch. "I'm so fucking done!"

Kai closed the book he had been reading, turning his head to face him as he flopped himself onto the couch on the other side of the room. He arched a brow, he knew Ray had a shit day the day before but every time he had asked he never answered him. Maybe today would be different?

"What happened?" He asked as calmly as he could, his face still flushed from the cold he had and his throat was sore now and his voice was hoarse.

"A shit storm!" Ray bellowed turning to him, his golden eyes ablaze. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You said that all day Monday, why don't you just tell me what's going on?" Kai asked in a bored tone, setting his book down on the nightstand beside him.

"Because _I_ can handle it!" Ray snapped at him, "I don't need a hand out Kai, I can handle shit on my own. I don't need you there to protect me all the damn time!" He yelled, his arms shaking as his foot bounced against the floor in his agitation.

Kai's other brow raised to join the other, the hell was that about? "When is me asking you to tell me about your day a handout? I'm asking because I care Ray, obviously something is going on that's pissed you off." Kai said and had to turn away to cough in his arm, his bed rattling as his chest clenched through it all.

"Why bother telling you? It's not like you can fix it!" He took in a breath to try and calm himself, he didn't want to snap at him. It wasn't Kai's fault, he knew he was going about this wrong. Maybe he needed to talk, Kai couldn't physically help no, but it was better than shutting him out.

"You don't even know if I can because you won't _talk_ to me! Why is that so hard for you to do?" Kai shot back at him, he could blame being irritated on being sick but really Ray was just pissing him off.

"Why's it so hard for _you_?" Ray plopped next to Kai on his bed, hoping being close to him would keep the peace between them.

Immediately Kai caught the stench of smoke around him, making him cough again and shift away from him some closer to his wall. Ray knew what he needed, it was in the drawer but he refrained. It was his last pack, he needed to use it sparingly. Listening to Kai gag on his stench wasn't helping either, only adding to the crushing weight he felt on his shoulders. He could feel Kai's eyes bore into him after his coughing fit had subsided, Ray knew he was waiting and his body started to shake as he tried to piece everything together so he could finally talk.

"School's been hell without you. Why, I don't know. It never was before!" Ray got up and paced around the room, the sudden urge to move hitting him and the need to put up a distance so Kai wouldn't be thrown back into another coughing fit.

"People have been targeting me and Lee nearly got me kicked off track! At the start of season! It's not _my fault_ Mariah did what she did!"

Kai watched him pace, his mouth opening to speak when Ray paused in the middle of the room grabbing at his own hair.

"Don't blame me for your problems Wong!" Ray told no one in particular, talking to himself again.

"What happened?" Kai finally asked, trying to get a word in edgewise.

He had only seen him like this once, when they went and looked at his truck Stan had wrecked. Ray talking to himself still threw Kai for a loop, he had caught him mumbling to himself yesterday after school but never spoke up about it.

Ray finally turned to him and he must've looked frightening because Kai's jaw went slack. " _You_ is what's happened to me! I had a shit existence yes, but no one bullied me or tried hurt me. Lee wanted to pick a fight with me at Gym, I knocked his fucking teeth in, and don't even get me started on the others!"

"The hell? How the fuck is this _my_ fault now?!" Kai roared despite the burn in his throat and lungs, although he wanted to get to the other part too he felt stung by what Ray had said; blaming him.

Ray didn't hear him, he just kept busting out, lost in his own world. "And to top it off you're sick, and it's not getting any better!"

Kai sat there for a second, that hurt. "My fucking apologies then Ray, not my goddam fault I was thrown into this house and we _happened_ to move here!" He had enough of sitting down and taking this like a damn dog, he got up and stalked over towards him.

"Quit trying to pin shit on me, I have done nothing wrong here! I'm sorry you've had a shit two days at school without me, but there's nothing I can do about that."

Ray nodded shakily, his jaw and lips trembling. "Yeah, I know. I know... Which is why I should've just dropped out!" Ray stormed over and snatched his pack from the dresser, unable to quell the craving any longer.

"You know that wouldn't be good, Natasha and Micah made good points the last time you brought that up." Kai sighed as he palmed at his forehead, "Put those back, you're not just going to run off and smoke every time something goes to shit."

"I can, I will, and I don't care right now." At that Ray left for the front porch, Micah would be home soon but he didn't care. He was old enough and had seen enough, he could do whatever he wanted. It was his damn body.

Kai went after him quickly, barely letting the door close behind him and stepped out in the cold November air in nothing but a thin shirt and pair of shorts.

"Get inside Ray, you can't just keep running off on me every time something goes wrong here. I'm trying to be supportive and all you've done is shit on everything I've done for you." Kai bit at him, snatching the cigarette from his hand as he went to light it up.

Ray blinked, surprised. That stung but Kai was right, he didn't mean to hurt him. Again.

"Kai, give that back. Now." He demanded, holding his hand out for it.

"I didn't get these for you so you can just use them to get out of talking to me, tell me what Lee did. What the others have done, quit shutting me out I'm sick of it!" Kai yelled as he snapped the cigarette between his fingers.

Ray glared daggers, momentarily wishing that he could produce said item at will. "Lee cornered me in the locker rooms to talk about Mariah and the damn baby, it's not even mine!" He started, yelling again like he couldn't control it.

"He said that Stan should have beaten me more, the others let me go and I hit him, almost beat his head into the floor. The coach saw and wanted to hang _me_ out to dry! As for the others..." He paused, taking a breath as his leg started up again.

"Well, talk to Oliver or the others. They would remember more than I would at this point, I was knocked out with a book yesterday morning and spent a good chunk of the day with the nurse."

Kai stood there a minute, his blood boiling for a whole different reason now.

"Why the fuck didn't the principal call? Why the hell didn't you say anything to mom or dad?!" He went off, his voice turning deadly as it got louder.

"Because I can handle it!" He shouted over him, his voice straining a bit. For someone so quiet Kai could certainly be loud when angered enough.

"What part of this is you handling it?!" Kai stepped closer, his anger overpowering his thoughts. "You not telling any of us isn't you handling it, obviously this has been bothering you since you wanted to go and point fingers at _me_." He growled out, his eyes burning.

"Who threw the book at you?" He asked in a darker tone, barely flinching from the cold winds that swept past them.

"His name's Garland, he's a senior like Lee is. I don't know him personally or why he would do that to me."

"Are he and Lee friends?" Kai asked in a biting tone, pulling his arms around himself so he didn't lash out at something.

Ray shook his head, "I don't know, but I doubt it. Doesn't seem Lee's type, I could be wrong though."

Kai nodded with him, he didn't know who Garland was but he was sure going to make a point to find out. "Alright... I'm sorry that happened to you, but you should have told someone yesterday. This is why shit always goes wrong for you. You don't speak up, quit letting people walk all over you like this."

"How is me fighting against Lee letting them walk over me? You know what, never mind. Thanks for listening" Ray shook his head, pushing past Kai to go back inside.

He was done with this. Deep down he knew Kai was right but he didn't want to admit it. He stuck up for himself fine before, had done it less than an hour ago. He didn't need Kai there to protect him, he didn't want it anymore than he had wanted his help in getting out from under Stan.

Kai sighed again as he watched him go, seven days in and they were at each other's throats. This was stupid, he knew that and all he wanted to do was help him. He knew Ray was a proud man, that he liked to handle things on his own but he was trying to make it where he didn't have to. That's what he wanted from him, to have the burden lifted from his own shoulders so it wasn't as heavy as it used to be. He wanted that for Ray too, he just needed him to understand.

He walked after him, giving him some space and found him in the kitchen. The cold air from outside caused him to cough on his way there, the medicine he took three hours ago more than likely wearing off.

He stepped up behind Ray at the sink, getting a glass of water, and put his arms around his waist and laid his chin on the top of Ray's head.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to fight with you about this. Okay? I'm just trying to help here."

"I'm sorry too." Ray breathed, leaning his upper half into his hold. "We'll talk more later about this though… For now let's just lay together, I need you." Ray sounded like he was on the verge of tears, finally reaching his breaking point.

He couldn't keep pushing him away like he had tried before, it never worked and it more than likely wasn't going to now that they were actually together. He really did need him, had always needed him.

"I thought you didn't want my germs?" Kai played along, liking this new change of pace.

He could forgive Ray for what he had said, he knew he didn't mean it and blamed it on the shitty two days he had at school. It wasn't his fault, they both knew that all too well. It still hurt, but it wasn't enough to be upset about it for long. He wanted this to work between them, it had to.

"Now I covet them." Ray chuckled and couldn't help but smile at that, Kai always knew how to relax him.

Kai pulled away from him, letting him follow back to their room. This was better, in a way, as long as he could keep him from blowing up again like before. When they got back to their room Ray dragged him to the bed and pulled him down with him, pulling each other close with Ray on his back and Kai laid out beside him.

"Where did it hit you, the book?" Kai asked, brushing back Ray's bangs from his face as if he was looking for a mark on his forehead.

"At the base of my skull, the area between the crown and the neck. Where I fell against my nightstand during the attack, no less…" He could feel his hair being sifted through, and partially played with, it felt nice. Soothing even. He always liked Kai's hands running through his hair.

"Ow!" Ray said with a painful hiss and jerked forward a little as Kai moved the hair from around the back of his neck.

"It was a big, thick book. Think, War and Peace but I couldn't see the title clearly after it happened. I fell and hit my head on the floor, Oliver and Enrique took me to the nurse." Ray told him, being shifted again where Kai pulled him against his chest, between his legs, as he leaned up against the wall with his back.

"I don't see anything there, and the cut on your forehead looks alright. I'll go with you tomorrow, he's not going to get away from hurting you like that." He told him, running his fingers gently through Ray's hair as he laid against him. His chin resting back on the top of Ray's head, his arms placed around Ray's that were laid over his chest.

Ray rolled his head back, looking up at him. "What part of 'you're still sick' didn't click? No, you're staying home to rest. Quit being stubborn."

Kai smirked down at him and went to say something when he had to jerk his head away before he coughed in his face, getting it out and felt the nasty gunk in his lungs rise up to his throat. Once it was settled and he hadn't gotten it out enough he turned back to him, putting his chin back down on the top of his head.

"I didn't say I was going for the whole day, I'll just go and knock his teeth in and then leave. Pick you up after school gets out, that's all." He said in a tired, strained, voice.

Ray smiled playfully, making himself more comfortable in Kai's arms. "Daddy said no and he means it."

Maybe that hadn't been the best thing to say since Kai had pushed him away and jumped off the bed, holding his stomach while laughing and hacking up a lung through it all.

"Fuckin hell Ray." Kai said once he could speak, his chest was rattling more as he breathed. "Seriously? Who said you get to be 'daddy' here?" He cocked a playful brow at him, turning red in the face.

"I have the beefier package." Ray said with a playful shrug, trying not to smile too big at the look on Kai's face.

Kai's face flushed just as red as his eyes, that had come from nowhere. "I… Uh... Sure..." Suddenly it felt too hot in the room and it wasn't going to help his fever any, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Ah come on I was kidding. Where are you going?" Ray called after him, already missing being wrapped up in his arms. Maybe he _really_ shouldn't have said that?

"Water, I'll be back." Kai squeaked out over his shoulder, booking it to the kitchen so he could just stick his head under the damn faucet.

Ray fell, flopping back onto the bed. Maybe it was still too early for that type of adult humor, he could never tell with Kai. One minute they could, and the next Kai flushed red and clammed up.

Kai sucked down the water, refilling his glass for a second time. He couldn't get the burn in his face to leave him, even after another glass of water. He knew they had stepped a line before back at Oliver's party, even if he was drunk off his ass he could remember more than half the things they had done; the hickeys were just the left over results. Since then they hadn't really done that, they kissed but not enough to get hot and heavy like that night.

It was too soon, maybe? He didn't know, not when memories of that night still plagued him. Ray had given him control of how things went and he didn't blame him, or question it, since Ray was new to this type of relationship and Ray was a virgin while he was not.

Since Ray moved in their showers were getting longer, the mornings were getting harder, but it was still too soon to actually bring up the topic of sex at all. He didn't want things to just crash and burn around the both of them. He was planning on spending the rest of their lives together, so why would they need to jump right into that?

Finding his nerves he chugged back a fourth glass and slammed it down on the counter, taking himself back to his room quietly. Hearing soft footsteps Ray's ears perked and he sat up on the side of the bed, seeing Kai come in a moment later.

"I'm sorry." Ray reeled off before Kai had made another step through his door.

Crimson eyed him and Ray found himself melting into mush suddenly at the look he was getting.

"I shouldn't have run my mouth, I was just trying to lighten the mood. Ease the tension?" Ray wasn't sure where he was going with this besides 'sorry.'

Kai didn't say anything, his feet taking him over towards him sitting on the edge of his bed and stopped between Ray's legs. Without hesitation or warning he leant down and kissed him hard on the lips, pulling back when he felt they both had the air sucked out of their lungs.

"I'm going to take a shower, mom and dad should be home soon." He said quickly, rubbing his thumb against the bottom of Ray's chin as a glint came to his eyes.

"And we both know that's a lie." He said with a smirk and turned his back on him, leaving him there on his bed and shut the bathroom door behind him and locked it.

Ray sat there stunned, what just happened there? He didn't know and he wasn't going to question it. It had been one hell of a week already and it was only Tuesday. As much as he wanted Kai to come with him he knew that wasn't going to work, he just had to put his head up higher and take everything in stride.

This was what he had wanted, to be with Kai and actually be happy for once. Stan was out of the picture, hopefully for good once he got him put away, and the baby wasn't his problem to deal with. If he could he would drop out but knew that wasn't going to work, he wasn't planning on telling Natasha or Micah about the past two days and he didn't think he had to worry too much about the school contacting them. All he had to really focus on was keeping his new relationship afloat, keep his grades up like before and maybe, hope with all his being, he could push past this until graduation.


	30. Whatever it Takes

**Hey guys, I'm really sorry that if any of you tried to review last chapter and couldn't. I messed up the order by deleting that PSA I had made when I went to my moms and with the way FF is you can't review on the same chapter twice even if the number got fixed around once I re uploaded. Either way, ya'll should be able to review on this one and the following ones (I hope)**

 **Roy and Sakura both helped me with this chapter, without them ya'll wouldn't have one.(Roy was Voltaire and Kai, Sakura was Kai at the very end.)**

 **Just want to say thank you to everyone whose still around after this long ass ride, we're getting to the end here I promise.  
**

 **Whatever it Takes is another song (I apologize) by Imagine Dragons, and it's probably Kai's theme song from the show itself, I highly recommend it just for that.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Ch 30- Whatever it Takes. Saturday, November 17th.

Two weeks and five days, that's all it had been since Ray had moved in with Kai and his foster family. Two weeks that he had never felt so loved and more alive than he ever had in his life. School was still hell, Kai finally able to come back with him for the last week on Wednesday, the fourteenth, and good on his word; Garland was two teeth less and Lee wouldn't dare step within three feet of Ray's personal space.

He would have never asked for it, he never did, but he liked the protection he had and wouldn't have traded it for the world. His stitches needed to heal otherwise he would have done it himself perfectly fine, he didn't need a bodyguard, yet he understood this was Kai's way of showing him how much he cared and if it were reversed Ray knew he would do the same.

On the tenth he had applied for a job at Walmart and was hired on Tuesday, on top of school he was now thrown into the middle of being trained for a stocking position. It wasn't what he had really wanted but it kept money in his pockets, he really couldn't complain that much.

Natasha had been the one to take him in, fussing over him the entire time and was just as ecstatic as he had been when he told her he had gotten the job. Kai was a bit more apprehensive about it, already Ray was taking on too much at a time and he could see the weight setting down on him and it had barely been a week since he started working.

He had tried to help, best he could but as the week progressed he was starting to get weighed down himself. The court date kept creeping up on them and soon enough it had arrived. Friday night Kai had pulled Ray into his bed, the door closed because he still didn't get Micah's issue all of a sudden with the two of them and could give two shits less. Ray didn't protest, knowing Kai needed it just as much as him.

The past two nights Ray had been plagued with his own bad nightmares, some of them the repeat of his attack or others he had faced over the course of his life. Friday night, being wrapped up in Kai's arms, the nightmares had stayed away and he had a peaceful sleep for once.

At seven Kai's alarm went off on his phone, sitting on it's normal spot on the edge of his side table. Hanging halfway off the bed, on his stomach, Ray reached out to try and find the damn thing to shut it off. Kai shifting beside him as he mumbled something and then pulled him closer, dragging Ray backwards and his fingers missed the phone.

"Kai. I can't reach it now." Ray chuckled in a quiet voice.

"Just leave it."

"Can't, gotta get up babe." Ray tried to pull away to reach the phone again, Kai pulling him back again.

"If you don't get it we don't have to go." Kai said against the back of Ray's hair that was in his face, it laying all over the two of them in a mess.

Ray sighed and finally pulled himself out of Kai's hold completely, snatching the phone up and shutting it off as he swung his legs off the side of the bed.

"I know you don't want to go, but you have to." Ray said gently, turning slightly to watch as Kai sat up behind him.

Despite sleeping beside each other Kai looked like he hadn't slept at all, not with the dark rings under his crimson eyes and his skin flushed again; like he was sick all over. He felt nauseas, his stomach was clenching and flipping on him and he had to fight down the bile that kept trying to rise into his throat.

"You're still coming, right?" Kai asked uneasily, meeting Ray's eyes.

He needed him there, he didn't think he could do this without him. Last time felt like hell.

Ray frowned a little, putting a hand on top of Kai's. "Of course, I wouldn't let you do this on your own."

Kai gave him a weak appreciative smile back, "Just promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't talk to him, don't even look at him too long." Kai said in a firmer tone, holding Ray's gaze with his own.

Ray nodded, "I won't, I can't promise anything if he approaches me though."

"Don't, I'm serious Ray. Just stay by me or Tala, mom or dad even. Don't let him corner you into a wall or something. It's not worth it."

Ray sighed and nodded again, patting the top of Kai's hand. "Alright, I won't do anything. I promise. But I can handle myself."

"Ray." Kai barked at him, his face hardening as his soft gaze turned into a glare. "I'm not playing here."

Ray rolled his eyes as he pushed himself off the bed, going around the room to get dressed in order to leave. "I know you're not, but seriously Kai. What is he going to do to me? He can't touch me, he won't if he knows what's good for him."

"You underestimate him."

" _You_ underestimate me. I've already dealt with Brooklyn, Stan. I can stand on my own two feet Kai, I know this isn't going to be easy for any of us. But you have to trust me here. If he wants to talk to me, let him. He'll learn real quick what kind of mistake he's making." Ray said sternly, shooting back his own glare at his boyfriend still sitting on the bed.

Kai bit the inside of his cheek, his stomach still clenching on him. "I just don't…" He stopped, unsure what to say all of a sudden.

"I know you don't want to see me hurt, more than I already am, I get that Kai. And I don't want to see you hurt anymore either. Let me help you here for once."

Kai shook his head, no longer able to really look at him. "I was already so close to losing you before… How could I live with myself if my own flesh and blood did something to you?"

Ray's glare softened as he took his bundle of clothes to the bed, kneeling down in front of Kai and lifting his head up so he could look at him.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, I told you before. I'm not going anywhere." He leaned in and pecked him on the lips, pulling away as Kai chased him mouth and smirked a little.

"Now get up, we have to leave in an hour." Ray said as he crawled back off the bed, leaving Kai there to change in their room as he went to the bathroom.

Kai watched him go, although he had Ray's promise he still didn't feel better about this. He could have Ray stay here, change his mind to keep him safe, but he was sure Ray would have none of that. This was going to be hell, he knew that and finally forced himself to get up and dressed to get it done and over with.

* * *

It was hell, absolutely utter hell. At least, thankfully, Kai hadn't gone through another panic attack at seeing Voltaire walking with his hoard of lawyers. Ray had glanced at the man for a minute, the man had glanced back and scowled and even more so when he saw the unknown boy holding Kai's hand.

Ray just stared back with a bored look, letting Kai squeeze the life out of his fingers and more than grateful that his stitches were dissolving more. He didn't think he would have been able to deal with the life being crushed out of them otherwise.

After the brief and quiet, tension filled, meeting the entire procession had filed into the room they were supposed to go in. Standing and sitting as the same old graying judge from before stepped in and sat down, going over the file again on the top of his podium with that same deep frown on his face.

Ray ended up blocking most of what was being said back and forth, not understanding half of it anyways or why Voltaire wasn't put behind bars already with all the evidence there to do so. That part scared him, what if that would be the same for when he had to face Stan up there on that bench? He shook his head, now wasn't the time to think of that when he had to be there for Kai.

That didn't stop him from dozing off slightly, only getting jerked awake as the judge called for a recess. Why it was dragging out like this, again, Ray didn't know and once more filed out of the room with the others.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom."

Kai gave him a pleading look, not wanting him to go but Ray had already pried his numb fingers out from his hold and was leaving him standing there in the middle of the room in front of Natasha and Micah. Tala hadn't come, he didn't think he had to with Ray there this time and even though his foster parents were there right beside him Kai felt alone as Ray disappeared down the hall.

Voltaire narrowed his eyes as he watched the rough looking boy wander into the men's room. The one who had the nerve to touch his grandson in front of him; parading their filth in public.

He glanced around before his cane tapped against the floor as he lurked after him, throwing the door open as hard as he could to try and intimidate the runt.

Ray casually looked up from the sink he was washing his hands in, intending to go in and splash some of it on his face to try and wake himself up. Hating the fact that this was dragging out, it was unnecessary. He was tired, on top of his own shit he had been trying to be strong for Kai through this because he needed it, and he wanted to be there like he had promised. Regardless, it was still taxing.

He locked eyes with the man who had been the cause of all of this, looking unfazed as the water shut off and pulled away from the counter. Kai had asked him not to talk to him, he tried to promise Kai he wouldn't but it looked like the old man had some things he wanted to get off his chest and who was Ray to deny him?

Voltaire gave him an icy smirk, "And who might you be?" He asked in a silky voice as he stepped into the bathroom, letting the door swing closed behind him and held his cane in front of him where he stood; blocking the doorway.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Ray retorted with a smirk, if the old man thought he was intimidating he had another thing coming.

He arched an amused brow. "My, my. A feisty one. No wonder you get along with him so well."

"I do a lot more than that." Ray's smirk grew.

Hell it was a lie, the most they had done was kiss since it was too early for other things. But the old fart didn't know one way or another. He wasn't blind, he saw the look of disgust on his face the entire time they were there. He wasn't surprised though, given the man's background and his age.

The old man's face coiled up. "You watch your mouth, you dirty little queer..." He growled, "And open your ears... If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away."

"Ooooo, I'm so scared." Ray laughed in his face, stepping up to the paper towel dispenser that was hanging on the wall near the door and near where Voltaire stood.

"But please, humor me." He said as he peeled one towel off and started to dry his hands.

Voltaire smirked back, "What is it about the youth of today? Feeling an unearned sense of power? Untouchable. You, my lad, ought to reign that in. You want to know power and being untouchable? Take a good hard look. How do you think I've managed to maintain my freedom thus far? You really don't think I could make accidents happen for a school boy?"

Ray arched a brow at him, tossing the paper towel past Voltaire into the trash can in the corner by the door he was blocking. He leant up against a stall corner and stuck his hand in his pocket for his phone, he felt around in it for a minute and hoped to God he hit the video recording button.

"I think I've deserved it, if you haven't noticed." He took his hand out of his pocket and showed him the fading stitches in his fingers before pulling his arms around his chest.

"And nobody said you were going to keep that freedom, it'll be a matter of time. That judge has it out for you, badly, if anyone here should be afraid it's you."

Voltaire chuckled at the scratches on his fingers. "Ah... You have a long way before you're a man, son. But I admire your fire. And your ignorance. You're still too naive to have noticed that in this world, money gets you anything?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders at him, "I'm not going to argue with you there, sure I have a long way to go before I'm a man. But, as long as I'm not a man like you I'm sure I'll be fine."

Voltaire scoffed, "Cute..."

"Kai thinks so too." Ray winked at him.

His smirk vanished. "I won't tell you again, _boy_... Stay away."

"Or you'll what?" Ray's smirk came back, praying again his phone was recording this.

His crimson eyes narrowed, "Or you'll find out what real pain is." He threatened.

Ray scoffed and rolled his eyes, peeling his back off the bathroom stall and stalked over to him. Voltaire was less than a few feet taller than him, but the man still had a larger build than himself and he had that cane...

"Let me tell you something real quick. One, I don't take kindly to threats. Two, _you_ stay away. Three, I'd like to see you fucking try anything against me. You might not care, I can give a shit less if you really do or not. But you will know this and know it well." He said as he held Voltaire's gaze, standing toe-to-toe with the stout aged old man.

"I am not afraid of you, what you might _think_ you can do to me is all it'll ever be. You think you're my worst nightmare right now? Please. I've had a gun put to my head, to be with him. I've been in the hospital, begging for my life already. And to top it all off, out of everything else. I'm still standing. So try, try and knock me down."

Voltaire tutted. "Long list of enemies there... But sounds like they weren't very good at what they did. _I_ on the other hand _always_ follow through on my promises."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Ray said coolly as he stepped back from him, "If that's all, I have a boyfriend to get back to."

His dull eyes twitched, not enjoying getting the stubborn reaction. "Enjoy your arrogance while you still can, _boy_." He bit as him as he turned to leave.

He'd made his threat, and he felt even more motivated to follow through on it with this one.

"Enjoy your freedom while you still can, you old hag." Ray chuckled back at him.

"And you yours, pillow biter..." He called back as his cane tapped against the floor.

Ray laughed harder at his back, "Need me to get the door for you old man? Wouldn't want to slip a disk. Also, before you go. How do you plan on doing anything to me when Boris is already gone?" He asked with an amused tone.

The old man tensed and shot round with a menacing expression. "You're playing with fire, _boy_."

"I've been burnt before, still standing." He said and cocked his head to the side a little, "What's the matter? Thought you buried that dirty little secret along with Boris?" He asked, the man's name rolling off his tongue.

He turned himself slowly and completely to face him again. "Be very careful what you say about things you know nothing about." He warned darkly.

"Oh? I think I know quite a bit about this. Boris worked for you, he was your accountant and also a very close friend. Kai lived with the officer who took custody of him after he ran away from you, the same officer that was shot and killed by a man named Boris Balkov. Correct me if I'm missing anything here of course." Ray said smoothly.

Voltaire let out a small whistle, "Someone has been doing homework."

"Hn, I'm more than good looks you know." He winked at him again because he knew it pissed him off. "But if I'm wrong, just please say so."

He stayed silent, stalking up to the cocky little shit with the corner of his lip curling. "Didn't I tell you I always keep my promises?" He slithered out in a low whisper.

"Going to be pretty hard to do with Boris ten feet under." Ray smirked at him, "Unless I'm wrong, you haven't really said."

"There's plenty more where he came from... Just remember that..." He spat out viciously, looking up into the unfazed eyes looking back down at him.

"I'm shaking, but not because of your threats. Your breath stinks, so get out of my face."

Voltaire had enough of this one. He grew tired of his adolescent bravado. "You'd better hope we don't meet again." He bit as he turned.

"Really wish we hadn't already, that face of yours is going to haunt my dreams." Ray snickered.

"Good. And remember, if you don't do as your told, it'll be the last thing you see."

"Oh shit! Are you my long lost father?!" Ray howled at him, "That would certainly make things awkward with Kai though..." He mused through a chuckle.

"If I were, I'd have drowned you at birth!" He spat back.

Ray hit his knee, his sides cramping on him. "Try a different one geezer, heard that one before." Ray wiped the tears as he heard the bathroom door open again, trying to catch his breath to call out to him again.

"Wait, don't go. It was just getting good." He chuckled, straightening himself up again and getting his laughter under control.

"So, how much did you pay the poor sob to kill the man and then himself? Or did he do it for free? Money isn't much use to a dead man after all."

Voltaire leaned his head back in a soft cackle. Under different circumstances, he might like this brat.

"Oh, son... You really are clueless. If you have enough dirt on someone, you have control. All I had to do was give the order."

"Oh? He piss you off or something?" Ray asked, looking interested.

Really, _really_ praying his damn phone was recording.

"I mean, I don't even know you and I already pissed you off. How much do you think you'd have to pay someone to off me? Not much I'd assume, I'm just such a poor defenseless little school boy after all."

Voltaire's amused cackle got a little deeper. "Oh now see a child... That would cost more. When dealing with criminals, you'd be surprised how easy it is to get someone to take out a policeman."

"So like what? A few hundred, two?" Ray asked.

Voltaire turned and looked him up and down, "I know a few who'd take someone like you out for a tank of gas and a crisp twenty."

"Well damn, I thought I'd fetch for a good fifty bucks." Ray snickered, "One last question and you can be on your way." He looked him dead in the eye, "Why did you do it?"

Voltaire narrowed his eyes at him, the cockiness striking his old nerves to a point he had never felt before. "Because no one gets between me and what's _mine_... _No one_!" He yelled, slamming the butt of his cane down into the tiled floor, sending off a crack that echoed through the small room.

Ray nodded, hiding the smirk on his face as he walked up to him and held his hand out.

The old man looked down at it with a sneer. "...I wouldn't want to catch something..."

"Hn, you're probably right. Got too much blood on your hands anyways." He said and put his hand down, "Names Ray Kon by the way."

Voltaire turned with another tap of his cane. "I didn't ask."

Ray cocked his head to the side again, "That aging brain of yours must not be working, cus you did ask." He walked around him, opening the door for him. "After you grandpa." He winked at him again.

Voltaire grumbled at him, he'd had enough of this little shit. Shooting him a glare, he carried on out the door, killing him in a variety of creative ways in his 'ageing brain'. Ray went out after him, holding a smug grin as he wandered down the hall where he had left the others for the break they were given. He dug out his phone from his pocket and sighed heavily with relief. It had recorded it!

"Fuck yes!" He yelled excitedly to himself just as he got down with the others in the waiting room.

All sets of eyes went to him, Natasha and Micah frowning at his choice of words as Kai arched a brow at him before he really noticed that Ray had just come out of the bathroom with Voltaire. His blood ran cold for a minute as the bottom of his stomach dropped, crimson eyes quickly looking Ray up and down for anything that might be out of place.

If a single hair was missing off the top of Ray's head he'd strangle his grandfather right then and there.

Voltaire had also turned and looked at the little punk he just had the miserable pleasure of meeting. His own crimson eyes going wide at the phone in the little shits hands and for the first time, in his long life, his blood ran cold but he held back from making a scene.

It wasn't possible, it couldn't have been. How could it have been and how could _he_ have been so careless?!

Ray finally stepped up to the others, looking around for Kai's team of lawyers but they weren't there. He didn't know how this would work, if they could use this or not but he was going to try. He had to.

"Hey babe, you doing okay?" He asked as he stepped into Kai's personal bubble, knowing Voltaire was watching their backs and pecked him on the cheek while putting an arm around his waist and tucking his phone back into his pocket.

Kai snaked an arm around him back, leaning into him. "I'm fine..." He said almost mindlessly, tired from the day.

"Did you..." He began to ask, scared to know what their encounter looked like. He wasn't angry with him though, not like he thought he'd have been since Ray looked fine.

"Did I what?" Ray asked, still looking smug and pulled him a little closer.

Kai sank, "Talk to him..."

Ray looked over his shoulder at Voltaire and winked at him again, watching the old man puff up like a chicken.

"Yeah." He answered as he turned back around, "Don't worry about it though, I'm fine. He likes to talk big, but really he's just a big chicken squawking to make noise.

Kai snorted a little before he glanced over at Voltaire and held in the fear in his eyes until they reached Ray again.

"Don't taunt him... You don't know what he's capable of..." He whispered in a beg. He had tried to do this before they left and Ray didn't listen, like always.

Ray had almost been killed by someone because of him once. He couldn't let it happen again.

"I'm not, he wanted to play a stupid game with me. So I'm playing back, and he's going to lose." Ray told him confidently, "Where's your lawyers at?" He asked, slipping his arm back to his side.

Kai glanced around, frazzled. "I uh... Think they're in the next room?" He answered before he arched a brow. "Why?"

"Just need to see them for a minute, you gonna be okay if I look for em?" Ray asked, stepping back from him so he could get the recording to them quickly. "Or come with me, either way."

Kai grasped hold of his hand. He didn't mean to be this weak in front of him. But he wanted him close by.

"I'll come with... It's stuffy in here..."

Ray squeezed his hand a little before dragging him off to the next room, "How long do you think this one is going to drag out for?" He asked as they made their way down the hall to the next room over.

He sighed, feeling sick and tired of it all. "No idea..." He said in agitation, "I just want to go home."

"I know." Ray said sympathetically and stopped at the door, giving it a quick knock on the wood and waited for it to open.

He squeezed Kai's hand again as they waited, Dickenson sticking his head out a few seconds later and looked over the two of them.

"Hello boys, what can I help you with?" He asked.

"Can we come in for a second? I have something for you and Kai's lawyers." Ray said quickly.

"Sure, come in son." Dickenson stepped back, holding the door open for the two of them.

Kai gave him a questioning look, "What're you talking about?"

Ray ignored him, pulling him into the room and letting go of his hand as they stepped inside with the three man team. Their quiet chatter ended abruptly as they clocked the two teens, Dickenson closing the door behind them and joined the small circle that was being created.

"What is it you have Ray?" Dickenson asked.

Ray pulled out his phone, going to the file. "I have this... Confession of sorts from Voltaire, I don't know if it matters, or if you can use it for anything. I'm not sure how all this works, but here." He handed the phone over to Dickenson.

"Don't play it right now though." He said, glancing over at Kai.

He didn't want to hurt him like that or cause a problem. He was doing this _for_ him.

Kai narrowed his eyes at him. "What is it he confessed to!?" He asked heatedly.

What could he have said in the men's room?

"Do you really want to know?" Ray asked, knowing he probably should have left him out with his parents instead of dragging him in there.

Dickenson waited, the phone in the palm of his hand and watching between the two boys to see if he could hit the play button. The lawyers looking intrigued all of a sudden and stepped closer. Making their circle tighter.

"Yes!" Kai protested, coming up with blanks as to what it could be, despite being scared to know.

Dickenson huffed and hit play on the recording, the room going quiet as Voltaire and Ray's voices came through the little speaker. Ray held his breath, trying not to smirk too hard. He still didn't know if they could use this or not, he could only hope so.

As it continued to play through the lawyers faces dropped as they exchanged looks, looking at the long haired teen and back at the phone a few times. How did he get this?!

Finally, what seemed like forever, it ended and Dickenson let out a breath with wide eyes as he turned to Ray.

"I think we might be able to." He broke the tense silence.

Ray looked ready to dance in place, that was the best news he'd ever gotten.

Kai's face paled and dropped in horror, struggling to breathe. It couldn't be...

This whole time!?

His mind darted, sparks blowing fuses left right and center as his eyes watered.

Ray looked beside him, seeing his eyes getting wet. Shit, he broke him...

"Hey, hey look at me." He stepped in front of Kai, not needing him to go into a panic attack. "It's okay, it's going to be okay." He tried to calm him down, kicking himself mentally. He really should have left him with Natasha and Micah.

Kai gasped for breath as his body trembled. The devastated tears rolling out the corners of his eyes.

"It's not true..." Kai panted, "Please tell me it isn't true!"

"I'm sorry..." Was all he could tell him, "I wish it wasn't, I really do..."

"Why!?" He cried at him angrily. It wasn't aimed at him, but he was there.

He gasped more and tried to get his lungs to fill, gripping hold of Ray's sides to keep him grounded.

Ray shook his head, "I don't know, just breathe for me though okay? I'm sorry, I didn't do this to hurt you."

In between his gasps, he choked out desperate sobs, falling in to him. Andrew had been like a father. He'd loved him. And it was because of him now he was dead.

Ray held him, trying to soothe him. Dickenson and the other two adults watching with their own tears in their eyes until Dickenson cleared his throat.

"Why don't you boys get some air, we'll see what we can do with this."

Ray nodded, but he wasn't going to push Kai out of the room where he'd have to walk past that monster just to get outside.

With a few sharp breaths, Kai tore away from him, rage in his eyes. "I'll _kill him_!" He roared as he staggered to the door, finding his feet and breaking into a run.

"Fuck. Kai stop!" Ray went after him, hoping for once he could actually beat him in running this time.

He grabbed him just short of the entryway to the waiting room, holding him around the waist.

"Please calm down, please." He begged, trying to pull him back down the hall before someone noticed. It was hard to do, Kai was taller and stronger and full of rage.

"Let _go_ of me!" He raged as he struggled against him. "I'll fucking kill him!" He cried, pulling against his hold.

It wasn't just over the news about what had happened to Andrew, his first real father after his biological one, but on that recording Voltaire had threatened Ray's life. He couldn't, wouldn't, let Voltaire get away with either.

At the noise Natasha and Micah stood up from their chairs, coming down the hall to see the two of them.

"What on earth is going on?" Natasha demanded, hands on her hips.

Voltaire even had the audacity to come around the corner and look down the hall, not sure if he should smirk at the little runt trying to restrain his grandson or not.

Kai's eyes burned as he clocked him, the rest of the room and the people in it disappearing. He'd appeared, like a red flag in front of a bull. With everything he had he yanked himself from Ray's grip, letting out an enraged strangled cry as he charged at him. He wanted blood. He wanted revenge. He wanted payback.

Micah jerked out an arm across his chest, holding him back and quickly spun him back around to face Ray. Holding Kai's shoulders firmly as his son tried to get out from under the new hold on him. Micah was seven feet tall, long and lanky but his grip was tight.

"The hell is going on?!" His voice boomed over the commotion.

Ray sank where he stood, this was his fault. "Voltaire killed Andrew, the police officer that had custody of Kai before he came to you. He confessed it to me and I recorded it... Kai listened to it..." He admitted quietly, praying again that he wasn't going to get scolded.

Luckily the two adults who looked at Kai like their own flesh and blood reeled on the man who had created this entire mess.

"You better get out of my sight _right_ this second!" Natasha practically screamed at him.

"You have to the count of _three_ , you come near us or _our_ son again you'll regret it." Micah bellowed, his hands holding Kai's shoulders in a firm grip to keep him planted in front of him as Kai finally stopped trying to struggle.

Voltaire didn't have time to make his own choice. An officer physically dragging him out of sight as another came in their direction to stop the commotion. Once the old man had been dragged from their sight Natasha went in front of Kai, still being held by her husband.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" She whispered in her motherly tone, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

His shoulders jerked violently as his burning eyes stared at her, his face straining. "No..." He choked as he fell into her, giving in and letting himself crumble completely.

"It's okay darling, it's going to be okay. We're here for you sweetheart." She cradled him to her chest, stroking his hair gently as she let him cry into her.

Micah stood there, not sure what to do so he clocked the other boy standing there looking guilty.

"It's going to be alright." He told the both of them, he knew he had been harsh on Ray since he moved in.

He really liked the boy, felt bad for what he had gone through but had his reservations about the two of them being together. He hadn't wanted to put him in the same corner as Brooklyn yet he had, from the start, seeing this now and how he was he knew he was wrong in ever doing so. He had just wanted to protect his son.

"Go wash up Kai, Ray go with him please."

"Yes sir." Ray stepped up beside Natasha and got Kai passed into his arms, putting them around his waist again as he let Kai lean into his side and headed for the bathroom.

Kai hung on him limply as he carried him to the very bathroom that started all this, crying uncontrollably as he went along without being able to pull back. Ray pushed the door open, letting Kai go in first and went to the paper towels and soaked a few under the sink. Stepping up to Kai as he was leant up against the counter. This hurt him too, he hadn't meant for this to happen.

"I'm so sorry Kai, I wasn't thinking when I had you come with me. I shouldn't have done that to you."

Kai's head slumped against the wall, unable to stop himself shaking. He shook at him, choking back his frantic crying. He had nothing to be sorry for.

He hadn't killed someone he loved...

Ray placed the cold wet towels to his forehead, dabbing them against his skin a little. He wasn't sure what else he could say or do but be there for him, at least Micah and Natasha weren't angry with him...

Yet...

Kai sucked in air and let out soft, heartbroken whines as he let him do it. "I don't understand..." He let out quietly as he lifted his bloodshot eyes to him, "How did you know?"

"I looked Voltaire up, that night we went to the park... Looked up Andrew and there were some articles about what had happened, there wasn't much about what had happened as they were more focused on what happened to you. But, there was a name that stuck out to me. The man who killed Andrew and himself, he worked for Voltaire... I wasn't sure, it could have been coincidence all along. I honestly didn't think I'd have gotten him to confess to me though." Ray explained in a low tone, letting his hand fall down at his side as he looked him in the eyes.

"I didn't want to tell you because I wasn't sure, because I didn't want to hurt you either in case I was right." He said, his own voice cracking on him.

Kai's red eyes widened, with a spark of new anger, as he shoved him back. "You've known this whole time!?" His hoarse voice growled at him.

"I told you, I didn't know for sure." Ray said, trying to ignore the way his body tensed up on him from the shove. Kai wouldn't hurt him, he knew that, but it still scared him and that look in Kai's eyes he hated was there, adding to the fear.

"I just happened to be right, I didn't want to be but I was. If anything this will put him away, for good. Give Andrew justice for what happened to him."

Kai covered his ears. This was all too much. He wanted to wake up from the bad dream, shove his pills in his mouth and have a dreamless sleep again.

"Stop it!l

Ray reached up and pulled his hands down from his ears, "What do you want me to do Kai? I can't take it back, I can't do anything but help you here but you have to let me."

Kai pulled against his hands. "You can't do anything!" He cried, "No one can!"

"I know that, and dammit I know this is hard and the last thing you needed here. You have to stop and look at the bigger picture though, that monster will finally be out of your life, for good. There's no way he can get out of this." Ray said firmly, his grip on his wrists just the same.

Kai's head slumped forward, feeling nauseous and weak all over again. "But it's my fault... He did it because of me!" He wept guiltily.

"Don't, don't you fucking dare blame yourself for any of this!" Ray yelled at him, tears pricking his own eyes. "Nothing any of them have done to us is _our_ fault, I won't stand here and listen to that! You know better than that, he's a fucking prick and I hope he fucking rots along with Stan in there!"

Kai's lip quivered violently as his eyes stung harder. He didn't have it in him to argue, he just wanted it all to stop. He slumped himself forward in to Ray's chest, needing to be held. Ray wrapped his arms around him quickly, feeling like he needed it too.

At the back of his head, through all of this, he was afraid this would have broken them apart. He didn't want to lose him, he couldn't. Kai was all he had now that meant more than the world to him.

"I love you." He held him tighter, brushing through the strands of hair at the back of Kai's neck that rested over his shoulders.

He let his weight push in to him as he hiccupped and tried to let Ray's hold soothe his aching soul.

"I love you too..."

Ray smiled a little and pulled away slowly, looking over Kai's flushed and reddened face. "Let's get you cleaned up now." He said fondly, reaching up and brushing away the few stray tears running down Kai's cheeks.

Kai nodded at him tiredly, staying still, drained. Ray went and grabbed some more paper towels, wetting them like he had the last ones and stepped back to clean him up some more.

"So... I was thinking. I understand if you don't want to, so feel free to say no here." He started quietly, every now and then his eyes darting from what he was doing to Kai's eyes. "I wanted to take you out tomorrow, get us out of the house for a change. Go to the movies and dinner, my treat." He told him and then held his breath.

Kai shrugged at him. The thought of eating anything making him want to throw up at the present moment. "Yeh maybe..."

"Sleep on it tonight, we don't have to though." Ray said as he stepped back, tossing the wet towels at the trash can and sunk them in into the bin. "You good to step out now?"

Kai nodded. They couldn't very well stay in there forever. He stood himself up, head spinning and pounding from everything. Ray grabbed him around the middle again, seeing he needed the support and held on tightly.

"Don't push yourself, we can stay in here if you need to.

"No..." He shook his head, "Let's go... Get this over with so we can get out."

"Okay." Ray nodded and pulled him along, opening the door for them and letting Kai go out first, letting him go since he seemed to have found his feet better. Taking up his hand like he always did and carried down the hall where their family was waiting for them.

* * *

With the new evidence being brought up, thanks to Ray, there was a call for another court hearing. The judge promising this time that Kai would finally have his freedom and Voltaire behind bars, three hours later after they had arrived the family climbed back into Natasha's car and went home in silence.

Kai laid his head on Ray's shoulder the entire way, needing the rest as his mind couldn't settle on one feeling at a time. He was still scared, would always be scared of what Voltaire could do. He was sad, the guilt of what happened to Andrew still on his shoulders but Ray was right; this would finally give the kind man justice for what had happened to him. On top of everything else he felt safe and loved, all because of the stubborn boy sitting beside him. What he would do without him, he wasn't sure, he didn't want to think about it for long though.

For dinner Natasha ordered takeout, letting the boys take their food to Kai's room with the door closed as she and Micah went to their room for the night. Knowing the two of them, and themselves, needed to sit and let everything from that day settle.

Stuck to Ray's side since they got home Kai sat beside him on the bed, their takeout boxes of Chinese food in their hands as they ate quietly. Ray kept glancing at him, waiting for him to say… Something… He wasn't sure what it was he wanted to hear from Kai, but the silence between them was getting unbearable yet he couldn't think of anything to say to him either.

Eating what he could stomach Kai finally set the little box down on the table beside him, leaning into Ray's shoulder again.  
"Let's go out tomorrow." He whispered in a tired breath.

"You sure?" Ray asked, not expecting that.

"Yeah, think it would be good for us."

Ray perked up a little, he did too and that was why he had wanted to go out. Still, at the back of his mind he was still afraid of what he had done.

"Are you mad at me?" He squeaked out.

Kai arched a brow and went quiet, pondering over his answer carefully. He really couldn't be mad at him, Ray was right. He had to look at the bigger picture here, it still didn't help the sting of pain and guilt he felt for what had happened to Andrew but it would do none of them good dwelling on it for long.

"No." He breathed again and pulled away, shifting around to face Ray.

"I'm not mad, just… It's a lot to take in right now. With everything else he's done to me, someone else got hurt because of me. I know, in the end it's not my fault but it still feels like it." Kai told him quietly, deciding to look at the wall his bed sat against.

Ray shifted like Kai had done, so he could face him with one leg still hanging off the side of the bed. His carton of food held over his lap with one hand, the other reaching out and touching the top of Kai's.

"I know it does, I really do. But you can't help what happened, couldn't have stopped it even if you had tried. Nobody knew, until now, and that's nobodies fault either."

Kai nodded, trying to take in what Ray was saying and feeling the weight slightly lift. "You could have told me sooner though." He mumbled, looking down at his lap and Ray's hand resting over the top of his.

"I could have, but deep down I wanted to be wrong. I really wish that I had been." Ray choked out, he didn't like seeing Kai this broken and once again it was because of him.

He kept saying he loved him and then turned around and hurt him, it was never intentional it never would be. Somehow he kept doing it though and that in turn hurt himself, like taking a knife and stabbing his own heart with it.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't want to hurt you."

Kai lifted his gaze to him quickly, "You didn't hurt me. You sure as hell scared me though."

Ray cocked a brow, "H-How?" Ray asked, looking taken aback.

"I told you, asked you, not to talk to him and you did anyways!"

"He blocked the door!" Ray squeaked, "I couldn't get past him even if I tried, I only started recording near the middle of the conversation. He said a lot more things than what you heard."

Kai's eyes turned murderous again, "The hell did he say?!"

Ray shrank back from him unintentionally, hating that look with a passion. "He asked who I was, told me to stay away from you and threatened me. No different really from what you all heard." Ray explained, shaking his head a little. "I told you, he's just an oversized chicken trying to squawk."

"And what if he hadn't confessed? What if he wasn't sitting in a jail cell right now?!"

Ray shrugged his shoulders, trying to ignore the yelling. "Guess we'd find out."

Kai jumped off his bed, that murderous look becoming intense. "Why is this a joke to you?!" He bellowed out, standing tall in the center of their room. Not caring that Natasha and Micah were down the hall.

"I never said it was, I'm not going to let him intimidate me in staying away from you though. What, you _wanted_ me to just lay down and do nothing?"

"That's _exactly_ what I asked you to do! You're playing with fire here Ray, you're going to get burnt!" Kai spat.

For the first time that day Ray's blood ran cold, that was exactly what Voltaire had said. He shook himself out of it.

"Been burnt before, still standing." He repeated.

"I've told you of the things he's done to me. That should clue you in on the blaze you're near. Please, you don't have to leave, just take a step back. This is _my_ battle, remember?!" Kai paced around the room for a brief moment so he wouldn't say something he'd ultimately regret.

He looked at Ray again. "So, what are you gonna do? Honestly?" He was tired of fighting, all it did was make circles.

Ray's brow rose higher near his hair line, "I'm not going to do anything, I've done my part. I get that this is your battle but guess what. Being with you has pulled me into it, we pulled each other into our messes. I don't regret it, not for a second, and I'm not going to apologize for standing up to him. Let him make his threats, I don't care. He won't touch me."

Kai ran a hand down his face. Ray still wasn't getting it. He sat back down on the bed, eyes threatening to release their flood. "Ray... Please I-I'm scared... For you." The last part of it he'd be surprised if Ray heard it, forget understanding it; he barely heard it himself.

"And you think I'm not? For the both of us? Hell, there's three men locked away wanting both of our blood. The best thing I can do, _we_ can do, is stand tall." Ray said, reaching out and touching him again.

"I don't want to fight with you over this, I really don't. What's done is done, and for now. And hopefully for the rest of your life, you'll be safe." He finished in a more calm, soothing, tone so as not to rile him back up.

"Dammit!" Kai yelled with a stomp, his hands mangled in his hair, holding fistfuls.

Crying was an emotion he wished he didn't possess, he'd done a lot of that it seemed. There a weighted tension whirling around him and he only knew one way to quell it.

"Fine." Kai uttered shakily.

Ray sighed and palmed his face, this was exhausting. Not knowing how to make it better, he just kept screwing this up.

"Maybe this was a mistake..." He mumbled, pulling the hand against his face into his bangs and pulling them back.

Kai's heart shot up with a painful and dread filled thump. No, Ray wasn't saying what he thought he was, was he? Against his better judgement, his mouth spoke what his mind was screaming it not to.

"What was? I said you can do what you want... Just _please_ don't-I couldn't…" He stuttered out, his hands coming out of his now tossed hair and falling limp at his sides.

"This!" Ray cried, gesturing to the two of them, tears in his eyes.

There it was again, him hurting Kai when he didn't want to.

"All we've done is argue, it's been two weeks and we've had what. Four, five? Arguments since this started." He continued to cry desperately, "I was trying to help, but I keep hurting you..." He hiccuped, shaking his head fighting the tears from falling.

"You're not hurting me at all. You've been the best thing out of this whole mess. I don't want that bastard to take anything more from me."

Ray continued to shake his head, "I won't let him." He choked, looking up at him finally.

Though he wanted to look into those eyes, Kai didn't have the energy to move. He felt cool fingertips on his searing skin and found the eyes that gave him his much needed shelter.

"I know." He said in a low tone, his voice blanketed in subtle sobs and choking.

Ray cracked a smile against his better judgement, his fingers still running up Kai's pale arm until they wrapped around it and tugged him closer. Of course he hadn't meant what he said, like always, and like always he had hurt him and needed to make it better. _He_ had to be better, for Kai.

"I'm sorry." He breathed against Kai's lips as they brushed, pushing in deep once he said what he needed. Praying and hoping Kai would push back.

Kai was in shock. After an argument he was kissing him? Was this what real love was supposed to be expressed as? Given the feat and uncertainty he was feeling he shouldn't have but once again, another organ over shouted his brain.

He slowly kissed back, putting the arm Ray was holding around his neck, fingers going through his hair. He was the best he'd ever have, he couldn't lose him.

Using his other hand Ray grabbed at Kai's hip, pulling him along the bed till their chests bumped and Kai was leaning over him precariously. For a minute he didn't care, for once sober he wanted to enjoy this. The memories of Oliver's party hitting him like a freight train, adding to the burning he felt in his body as the air got sucked out of his lungs.

Kai, though aware and weary, didn't want to stop yet. Though one part of him was yelling no, another was elated at the notion and wanted this. Like Ray, Oliver's party ran through his mind at the same time, thank goodness he could happily hold this one. A hand went around Ray's head, cupping the back of it. On impulse Kai intensified their kiss, Ray tasted heavenly.

There was a noise between the two, who made it neither cared, the room reaching boiling as their hearts raced in their chests. The door wasn't locked, Tala never knocked and Natasha and Micah were still down the hall. It had only been two weeks, that hadn't stopped them at the party doing more when they hadn't even started dating though.

Through the fog in his head Ray started to lean back, pulling Kai down with him where another noise left his throat as he tried to breathe without breaking the kiss. The hand that had been gripping Kai's hip slowly slipped upwards, under the hem of Kai's shirt where it had only gone once before. This time he kept dragging his hand up, lifting the shirt with it as his fingers ghosted over the scars and muscle that lay hidden underneath. Praying Kai wouldn't stop him this time.

This felt wonderful, with every touch Ray did his skin burned in the best way possible. Kai leaned forward, pushing into Ray more. He needed this. He did, but...

Kai pushed himself up with his free hand. "I'm sorry. We can't yet."

Ray blinked his eyes open, his blood still rushing south as his fogged up head tried to register Kai's words. Great, now he felt more like a fool.

"I'm sorry." He pulled his hand out from under Kai's shirt, unsure where to put it and let it just fall off the side of the bed as he let go of the back of his head.

"It's too soon." Kai panted, fighting himself from leaning back down and throwing all caution out of the window.

Ray nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. Kai was right, it was. He just got lost, hormonal teenage urges wanting to take over again.

"I understand." He squeaked, trying to find his voice.

"And I appreciate that." Kai leaned down and kissed Ray's forehead before getting up and heading into the bathroom; he needed a shower, a really cold one.

Ray had turned his head and watched him sweep out of the room, leaving the door open and with his departure it was like the air got sucked out of him again. He palmed at his red stained face that was still fifty degrees too hot. Trying to calm himself down so he could get up, deciding that going back and sleeping on the couch was a great idea all of a sudden.

He pushed himself up as he heard the shower kick on, the damn bastard beat him to it, and grabbed his pack out of the dresser drawer he kept them in. Checking the hall, seeing the light out under Natasha and Micah's door, he crept down the hall to the back door quietly. Lighting up once he stepped outside into the cold night air, puffing on it quickly as if it would solve his problems.

In his pocket his phone vibrated and beeped with a text message, pulling it out he stared at the screen for a second and felt his stomach drop again.

{You're being court ordered to take a paternity test you lying bastard, here's the order and the date and time. See you then.}

It was from Lee, followed by a picture of the paper that demanded him to get the test done the coming weekend. It being just one more mess that he had to swim out of now.


	31. Out the Window

**Finally broke my own chapter limit, this is the longest fic I have ever written and it's only semi near the end here. At least ya'll still love it, without that I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have with it, so thank you. Truly, it means the world and more to me. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint ya. Enjoy!**

* * *

Ch 31- Out the Window. Sunday, November 18th.

With no alarm, a sleepless night, the boys didn't wake up until almost ten in the morning. Tala having stayed at Bryan's for the night and was not present to be their own personal alarm clock. Micah had went to get them up at a decent time and Natasha held him back, after having listened to the two of them go at each other's throats she didn't want her husband stepping in where he didn't belong.

Kai woke up first, barely glancing over at Ray asleep on the couch. He had tried to get him to sleep in the bed with him, to no avail, and felt like another wall was shooting up between the two of them. They hadn't even said goodnight to one another when he returned from the shower, Ray carrying around the smell of smoke which only angered Kai but couldn't blame anyone but himself for having Tala buy the damn things for him.

With the day before at the back of his mind he felt numb, trying to push every thought of it out best he could. It didn't work, it never would, but he still couldn't really find it in himself to be mad at Ray for it. Sure, he could have told him before but Ray was right; what good would it have done and what if he had been wrong?

God he had wished he was…

Pushing himself up off the bed he went to get changed for the day, finally remembering through the haze that he had agreed to go out tonight with him. He didn't think he could do it. In a way he had promised him though, and maybe if they did get out of the house it would bring the wall that had sprung up between them down again.

With a heavy sigh he stepped up to the couch, giving Ray's arm a gentle shake to get him moving and received a mumbled word in Mandarin back. For all Kai knew, Ray just told him to fuck off.

"Ray, gotta get up." He shook him a bit harder, getting his hand smacked away.

"What the hell for?" Ray asked, turning over slightly to look up at him.

"It's almost noon?" Kai arched a brow at him, Ray was supposed to be the morning person he thought.

"Is it really?" Ray's golden eyes widened.

Kai nodded, stepping back so he could get off the couch but Ray just rolled back over.

"Wake me up in another hour."

"Didn't you want to go out today?" Kai asked, hoping that would get him moving.

Ray rolled his head back over his shoulder, "Did you still want to?"

After the night before he hadn't expected Kai to have even brought it up. He felt the wall there too, why it was there he still wasn't sure and to him it was too early in the day to really want to think about it either.

Kai shrugged at him, honestly he didn't but if it kept Ray happy he would. "If you want to?"

Ray blinked at him, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. He pushed himself around, finally sitting up and moving his hair out from wherever it got snagged around his body.

"I mean, I do. But after yesterday I understand if you just want to stay home."

Kai shrugged at him again, Ray was right. After yesterday he really just wanted to go back to bed and not ever get up again.

"I mean, we're not leaving until later anyways right?"

Ray shrugged back, "Or could make a whole day out of it, since it's already so late."

Kai's stomach dropped, on a different day with different circumstances that sounded like a great idea. After the day he had though yesterday, it sounded like a nightmare.

Ray noticed the look on Kai's face, he wasn't going to push him to go out at all. He understood, but that didn't stop the little stab of hurt in his gut.

"It's okay, we don't have to at all." He pushed himself to stand, running his fingers through the knots in his hair as he went to the dresser for clothes.

Kai's stomach twisted, once again Ray was shirtless and in nothing but thin basketball shorts. They kind of looked like his…

"I'm going to take a shower though, so just think about it?" Ray turned to him with some clothes in his arms, his long hair sweeping around his back.

Kai nodded, all of a sudden he couldn't think right or say anything back. Ray noticed, trying to hide the smirk that was wanting to crack and swept past him to the bathroom. The moment the click of the door hit his ears Kai was jerked back to reality, wondering where it was he had even gone off to.

Shaking his head he started to strip down out of his night clothes with a heavy sigh, he didn't want to go in anyway shape or form but he felt like he owed it to Ray, himself, to keep trying. Push down those walls and make things right, ignore the outside buzz of the world and focus on the better outcomes. He still had his family, Ray, his life, and his freedom. More than likely this would put Voltaire away, for good, and with that new thought he felt slightly better.

Squeezing himself into his tight-fitted black jeans he searched through his closest for a dark purple V-neck shirt that was slightly baggy, it dipped down far enough his collarbone showed. Grabbing his black boots he sat on the bed, putting them on one at a time. When he stood he went back to his closest and pulled out his leather jacket, the same one he had worn at Oliver's party, and closed it halfway up his chest. Last, not that he needed it, was a black studded belt. He'd have to do his hair once Ray got out of the shower, but he was ready to make a date out of the day.

Surprisingly, with all that hair, Ray was quick to come back into the room. The two froze slightly, trying not to be as obvious as they were as they checked each other over.

Ray's hair, although still damp, was pulled back in that same half-up-half-down style he had at Oliver's, without the braid on the side of his face and his bangs pulled back completely out of his face. The scar on his forehead was hardly noticeable now, not that he really cared if it was anymore anyways. While he was dressed in a tight fitting white shirt that cut just as low as Kai's did, with a black stripe that ran down the left side of it from the shoulder to the hem. It was a tight enough shirt it could have just been painted on, following every defined curve and dip of his chest and stomach.

Around his hips sat his loose fitting dark-blue jeans, hugging his hips that were slightly peeking out between the small space where the shirt ended and where the jeans began. Of course he'd wear the jacket Kai gave him, who knew how cold it was going to get tonight. He had a pair of Converse in the closest he could put on, once his feet moved him from his staring.

Finally Kai cleared his throat, fighting down the blush that had spread across his face like a wild fire.

"You look good…" He cringed, that came out squeaky and not at all like how he normally sounded.

Ray jerked back to where he stood, stopping himself from smiling like a dumbass at that. "You too." He squeaked back and then cocked his head to the side. "Can I do your hair?" He asked, taking in the messy mop of two-toned colors on Kai's head.

Kai's face burned and he nodded despite himself.

Ray looked excited, finally his feet moving him to the closest where he threw his dirty clothes in the basket there and went back to the bathroom to get a hairbrush and a hair-tie.

Kai shifted uncomfortably where he stood, not knowing where to really go he went back to sitting down on the side of his bed. Ray came back, looking like an excited child and crawled on the bed behind him where he knelt down on his knees.

They had been closer than this before, had done things more intimate than this, yet Kai's heart felt like it was trying to break free out of his chest. He tried to sit as still as he possibly could, feeling Ray dragging the brush through his bed-head as carefully as he could. Then his fingers were running through it and Kai had to bite his lips to stop any noise from escaping his throat, closing his eyes and waited patiently.

"Okay, go look." Ray tapped his shoulder.

Kai nodded and pushed himself up, walking through his opened door to the bathroom. Ray's eyes on his ass the entire time until he disappeared in the hall, feeling his own face burn all of a sudden and like he got hit by a truck all over again.

Kai inspected his hair, with a few wisps of the slate still brushing along his face most of it was pulled back. A small braid traveled the side of his head to the back where it was held in the black, being pulled all together where it blended again and rested in a low ponytail down to the top of his shoulders.

He really liked it.

Rummaging through the cabinet above the toilet he sprayed himself with his cologne, might as well smell as good as he looked, and stepped back into his room where Ray had finally put on his jacket and his shoes his head snapping up when Kai stepped back in, looking hopeful.

"Do you like it?" He asked in that same squeak as he had done before.

Kai nodded, he really did.

Ray breathed in and sighed heavily, getting the smell of Kai's cologne wafting up his nose and trembled slightly. He looked good, and now he smelt good. Shit, he smelt _really_ good…

"You ready to go now?" Kai asked, not moving from the doorway because if he stepped in further they were more than likely NOT going to leave anytime soon.

Ray nodded, standing up and checking his pockets with his keys hanging off his belt loop on his right side. "Yeah, let's go." He looked happier and that in turn lifted Kai's mood until he clocked the keys on Ray's hip.

"I'm driving."

Ray gave him a questioning look, "I didn't even know you had your license."

"I do, I just don't drive that often. But I'll get Natasha's keys and we'll take the car."

Ray pouted at that, "You can't drive, you don't know where we're going."

"Then you'll just have to tell me." Kai said with a slight humorous tone in his voice, his eyes raking over Ray again and not caring if Ray saw.

"That's spoiling the surprise. You won't fall out of The Beast, I promise." Ray snickered back, getting a brow raised at him.

"The Beast? Really?" He asked, chuckling slightly.

"Hey, it fits." It was Ray's turn to look Kai over, maybe he wouldn't be able to get in with those jeans hugging him like they were. "If you want to drive fine." He unhooked his keys from his hip and set them down on the desk, walking up to Kai to meet him in the doorway.

Kai nodded, that was easier than he thought and led Ray down to the living room where his foster parents were sitting and watching TV.

"Ma?" Kai called, grabbing their attention.

She turned, along with Micah, and they took in the two of them and smiled a little. "Be back by ten, you two be safe and have fun." She said.

Kai nodded and went to the hook by the door, taking down her keys and held the door open for Ray and let him go first. It may have looked like a chivalrous gesture, really he just wanted ogle Ray's ass now and he wasn't disappointed.

They climbed into the spacious gold car, both settling in the beige leather seats as Kai kicked it on and started to run the heat. Already Ray was playing with the radio, trying to hook his phone up to the Bluetooth, thankfully the radio wasn't a standard factory one and he was able to. Kai let the car warm up, it seemed to have dropped outside in temperature again but if they ran the heat too long in the car they would cook alive.

"So, where are we going?" Kai asked, turning to Ray as he put the car in reverse.

"The mall, the one in Lakewood." Ray said without looking up from his phone as he scrolled through his music to find something to listen to.

Kai nodded, that was going to be a decent forty minute drive out and pulled out of the driveway. Ray's music finally coming through the speakers between them, Ray's head slightly bobbing to it a little as the upbeat started to really kick in.

"Did you sleep good?" Kai asked, pulling up to the first stop sign.

"Honestly? No." Ray answered, shifting in his seat.

Kai arched a brow, "How come?"

Ray shrugged, would it be right to tell him that he had a nightmare? And he had it only because he hadn't slept in bed with him?

"Guess I just couldn't get comfortable." He settled on, hoping Kai would buy it.

"I tried to get you to the bed, you didn't want to." Kai shook his head slightly, directing the car out of their town to the highway.

Another blush spread over Ray's face, "Well, after what happened… I didn't think… You know, it would have been a good idea- and- and all." He stuttered out, having turned to look at Kai as his words spilled out of his mouth.

Kai made a noise, looking amused. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He shrugged his shoulders a little, "You could have taken the bed though."

"It's your bed." Ray squeaked, "The couch is fine, and with the stitches dissolved it's not as hard anymore."

Kai seemed to understand, though he was still disappointed. Quickly he shot a look at Ray's hands and fingers, only a few of the wounds had turned into scars which he was thankful for. Thinking back on when Ray had gotten up, shirtless, he had clocked the wounds on his chest and stomach that were fading just as well. Some were more noticeable than others, while others looked like they would fade within another month or two.

He cleared his throat, turning back to focusing on the road ahead of them. "So, what're we doing at the mall?"

"There's an arcade there. A food court and some, actual, restaurants we can look at and there's a movie theater. Plus, there's the stores we can wander through. I figured it'd be nice, ya know? Feel like actual teenagers again for once."

Kai nodded, that did seem like a nice idea even if he wasn't that big on the idea of a stuffy arcade.

"What movie?" He asked.

Ray shrugged again, "I really haven't looked at what's playing." He chuckled, "Guess we can figure it out when we get there."

Kai went to speak when Ray's phone went off with a text, the face of the radio displaying Lee's name and he frowned hard.

"The hell does he want?" Kai asked, moving to press the 'listen' button on the radio.

Ray quickly jumped and held his hand back, "Don't worry about it." He let Kai's hand go, Kai putting it back on the steering wheel and glanced over at Ray again as he was holding his phone in his lap and reading over the text that had come through quietly.

Kai glanced over in between looking at the road. Part of him wanted to press. The other really didn't. With everything that had gone on the past days, the idea of just having a normal day sounded exactly like what they both needed.

Ray's fingers hovered over his phone for a minute before he started to type away furiously to Lee's text. His mood sinking lower and lower, as his anger bubbled to his chest. This wasn't what he needed right now, or what he wanted.

{Of course I'll be there, I can't very well get out of a court ordered summons now can I?}

Lee's reply came a minute later, the radio buzzing again and Ray shifted his eyes to Kai quickly to make sure he wouldn't hit the 'listen' button.

Kai let out an irate growl. "Really? You're just going to let this hang right here?" He bit at him.

Ray rolled his eyes, disconnecting his phone from the Bluetooth quickly. "Sorry..." He muttered, replying to Lee's new text.

{I wasn't bringing them.} He sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest of the seat.

Maybe he should bring them, tell Natasha and Micah what was going on or at least Kai. Then again, he didn't need to stress them all out about this either. It would be a quick mouth swab and he could come home, tell them he had to work that day or something.

As they stopped at a light, Kai snapped his head to him. "I didn't mean disconnect it! I mean tell me what he wants!"

Ray bit into his lower lip a little, there went him _not_ telling him. "It's nothing, just being stupid..."

"Then just say will ya? Or I'm turning this thing around..." Kai snapped back.

"Oh come on, really?!" Ray whined, rolling his head to look at him and realized Kai was not bluffing. "Fine." He bit, breathing in heavily again.

"I'm being court ordered to take a paternity test this Saturday. He's just kindly reminding me about it and said not to bring you or mom and dad." He explained in a biting tone.

"Why?" He asked with a cocked brow.

"Because their parents think the child is mine, this way they can try and suck me dry with child support. It's stupid, it's not mine. Why she's going to _this_ length to keep lying is beyond me. Why he said not to bring you guys, I don't know." He said, looking exhausted all of a sudden.

"I wasn't going to bring you guys, it's just a simple mouth swab and I'll be home in an hour or two. It's not that big of a deal."

Kai shook his head. This was ridiculous. "We'll be there. Not up to them to dictate who you can and can't bring..." He muttered angrily.

Ray shifted down in his seat, of course Kai would say that. "You really don't have too..." He breathed.

"I bet it's just so he doesn't have an audience for when his sister is proved to be a lying bitch. Well too bad... I want front row fuckin' seats!" He rambled on, gripping the wheel tighter.

Ray chuckled at that, "I don't think they'll have the results that quickly."

"Don't care..." Kai huffed stubbornly.

Ray snorted, "Alright, well just don't go knocking his teeth in or anything."

"Can't make any promises..."

"I get first dibs here, then you can have whatever's left. _If_ there's anything left." Ray laughed, shaking his head.

This was a bit nicer, the storm being held at bay for now. He checked the clock on the radio, they had been out for twenty minutes with twenty to go. He hooked his phone back to the radio, his music playing again between them as Lee had gone quiet now and prayed that he wouldn't try and talk to him again.

As a silence came over them Ray watched out the window beside him, getting lost in his thoughts till he sat up some.

"Who do you think it could be?" He asked, random he knew, but it had been at the back of his mind.

Kai sighed at that. He had a few ideas of who it could be. But speculating could only hurt him.

"I have no idea..."

Ray nodded, "I really don't either... Before all this, I thought everyone liked me. Guess not." He chuckled at himself, "This was why I never did, because I didn't want a kid at this age." He said off the top of his head, just to keep a conversation between them.

"Pussy'll pull a guy farther than dynamite can blow ya..." He said awkwardly, not really sure what to say to that.

Ray held in the laugh at that one, "Guess so. Oh god, what if it's Roberts?" He blurted through his giggling, "That poor kid is going to have the weirdest eyebrows."

Kai snorted too, "Jesus... I don't even wanna..."

"Let's see... It can't be Miguel or Kane, they have girlfriends... Could be Steve's, even Ricks... Obviously it isn't Oliver or Enrique." He chuckled, "Oh shittttt, what if it's Johnny's?!" He exclaimed almost excitedly.

Kai tensed. That was exactly who he thought the baby daddy was...

"Well if it is, I send my sympathies to the kid."

"The poor thing." Ray agreed until his brow arched, "Really though? Johnny, over me?" He mused quietly but loud enough Kai could hear him.

"If it is him, you can bet it wasn't his winning personality. Probably was just willing to sleep with her."

"Oh definitely, the guys an asshole. They deserve each other really, ten to one though. He's not going to stick around if it is his, I bet you he'll high tail it back to Scotland the second she comes out with the truth." Ray said, shifting in his seat where he could look at Kai beside him.

"Drop a wad of cash in her lap and just run, no turning back."

Kai nodded, that sounded about right. The two fell silent after that, Ray quietly singing under his breath the rest of the way till Kai pulled off the highway and down a few streets till they arrived to the three-story mall Ray had wanted to surprise him with in going to.  
He had been here twice before, the last two Christmas's with Tala where they came shopping for their parents. It was large enough to not feel too crowded and even with it being a Sunday it looked slightly empty. He pulled into a parking space as close to the doors as he could, near the food court entrance, and cut the engine. Ray was already getting himself out of the car, bouncing out with his hair getting caught in a breeze the second he stepped out and met Kai at the back where he held his hand out for him like an automatic reaction.

Kai took it, also like an automatic reaction. "So... What are you surprising me with?"

Ray shrugged his shoulders, "Can see the times for movies, pick one out and hide in the back to make out." He chuckled.

"Sounds fine by me..." He smirked at him.

Ray blushed at that, having expected Kai to decline that offer after last night. "Let's see if there's anything remotely worth spending our money on first, if not we can just look around." He said, swinging their arms a little as they stepped closer to the doors of the mall.

Kai nodded and pulled the glass doors open as they reached them, letting Ray go in first with their hands still connected and getting hit by the warm air of the heaters and the overwhelming smells of the food court. Around them there were several people sat down eating lunch, others in line getting their orders and lively chatter that filled the air.

Ray continued to lead the two of them, glancing around as his stomach subtly growled. They hadn't eaten anything since waking up, but didn't want to spoil his appetite for dinner; wherever or whatever that was going to be…

As they maneuvered through the dense crowd Ray's eyes caught sight of a familiar red and blue ball cap, and a tall tanned white haired teen standing like a skyscraper amongst the shorter ones.

"Oh, it's the guys." He rambled excitedly, pulling Kai with him towards where Tyson and the other three were waiting in line for pizza.

Kai didn't mean to pull a little against his hold, but why did they have to be there!? Friends or not, he just wanted some alone time with Ray.

Ray tugged back, feeling the pull back until they were standing behind the other four without them knowing. Somewhere off in their own conversations about what type of pizza to get, Tyson not budging on what he wanted whereas the others didn't like the idea of having to stomach sardines on their pizza.

"Well, if we're putting in odd orders put some pineapple on it with jalapeno's." Ray said behind them casually.

Tyson nodded, "That sounds like a good idea!" He shouted, the others turning to clock Kai and Ray standing there.

Ray started to count down in his head how long it would take Tyson to realize he was standing there. "Oh, and garlic. Lots of it."

Tyson nodded again in approval, his mouthwatering while the others snickered.

"Ty, Ray's behind you..." Max nudged him in the arm.

Tyson jumped and spun around, "Oh shit you are!" He laughed.

"Seriously Ty, don't get what I just listed off. It's gross and so are sardines."

"What're you two doing here?" Tyson asked, what Ray had just said going over the top of his head.

Ray glanced down at his and Kai's hands held together, "A date." He stated proudly, "What're you guys doing?"

"Laser tag!" Max shouted excitedly.

"They opened it?!" Ray asked back, Max's excitement getting to him.

Kai felt his stomach sink at his excited tone. So much for making out in a dark movie theater... If he was going to insist on joining them, he was going to shoot the shit out of him in spite...

"They did, last weekend. We _were_ trying to get something to eat before we went back." Max explained.

"You guys already went?!" Ray whined, "Who won?" He looked between the four of them.

Rick and Steve pointed at Tyson, not looking happy about it.

"You two should come!" Tyson shouted, looking between Kai and Ray.

Ray looked ready to accept right away, though with the warmness between his and Kai's hands it was like he remembered they were supposed to be spending the day together.

"Do you want to?" He asked, looking up at him.

He tried to give him a pleading look, hoping it would work on him. Soften his heart a little, or something like that.

Kai tried not to make a face. Not only was Ray looking at him, but the others too. "Sure... I guess..." He said diplomatically in a flat tone.

What was he supposed to say? "No. I want to go and have the date you promised."

Ray's smile reached the width of his mouth, golden eyes beaming excitedly. "We'll meet you guys there, gonna go check movie times real quick." He said, tugging Kai along like a dog on a leash.

The others waved as they disappeared down the corner, turning back to restart their argument about what type of pizza to get.

Kai relaxed a little more now that they were away from the others, tugging Ray back and halting him in the middle of the complex. Ray turned and gave him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?"

"Thought it was supposed to be us today? Not us and everyone from school." Kai said, his tone getting darker.

"I wouldn't consider Tyson, Max, Rick, and Steve the whole school…" Ray retorted, not liking the tone Kai had used. "If you didn't want to go you should have said so."

Kai shifted where he stood, Ray was right. He could have, should have, said no. The need and want to keep him happy had overpowered his own wants, again.

"I didn't want to upset you…" He admitted quietly.

"You wouldn't have upset me if you were honest, we're still not even sure if there's anything worth watching anyways." Ray sighed, "Let's check and see what they have and the times, we can do a game of laser tag and then catch the movie and then get dinner."

Kai nodded, the idea of running around pretending to shoot at the others kind of sounding fun suddenly. "Alright, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, but you should start speaking up with what it is _you_ want to do here." Ray said.

Kai nodded again, "Let's check the movie times then." He started to lead them now, pulling Ray along this time instead of the other way around.

Ray smiled the whole way, their hands still held together through everything as they made their way up the stone stairs to the second floor where the theater sat. Falling in line behind the crowd and staring at the movies and times for a second before turning to each other.

"Bohemian?" Ray asked.

"Bohemian." Kai agreed, "Four thirty?"

"Four thirty." Ray parroted, following him back down the stairs to find the others for their game of laser tag.

"Have you ever played it before?" Kai asked as they reached the first floor again.

"Once before, went with the guys and Lee two years ago at a mini golf place. It wasn't that great, really small and cramped and they threw in kids with us so we had to watch where we were going so we didn't step on them." Ray said, swinging their arms again as they walked.

"Tala and Bryan took me once, when I first moved in with them." Kai said, adding to the story.

"Who won?" Ray asked, glancing up at him and noticed the smirk on Kai's face.

"I did." He said rather proudly.

"Ooooo, so are we going to be on the same team?" Ray asked, nudging Kai in the shoulder with his.

"I'm not going to let you leach off my points." Kai joked, "We'll see what the others say."

Ray nodded, he could agree to that since he didn't know how this particular place played out. They joined the others sat at a table, half of the pizza devoured and Ray plucked a piece off as he and Kai stood at the end of it.

"Our movie starts at four thirty, so whenever you guys are ready to go." Ray said through his mouthful of pizza, thankful that the others got Tyson to agree finally that sardines did not need to be on it.

"How does this one work?" Kai asked, he had the same thoughts as Ray.

"There's options of two or three teams; blue, red, and green. The place is huge, we almost lost Max earlier, but it's decent enough. The first team with their base still standing are the winners, and you get fifty life points each. Getting hit in the chest takes ten, the back five, and the shoulders one each." Rick explained, glancing up at Kai where he stood beside him.

"Do we all want to be on the same team, or go separate?" Max asked, looking between everyone.

"I like the idea of going separate again." Steve piped up, sitting across from Tyson and trying not to give him a glare for winning the last round.

"So, two of us on each team then?" Ray asked.

Tyson grinned, "You're all going to lose so badly, except Max since he's on my team." He stated as if it was already cemented.

Max blushed a little, "Just don't leave me again, it's so hard to see in there."

"Don't worry buddy, I won't." Tyson's grinned widened as he threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Are we doing this or not then?" Rick asked, pushing away from the table as Ray was plucking off the last piece of pizza from the pan that sat in the middle of the table.

"Shouldn't be so eager to lose big guy." Tyson wiggled his brows at him, pulling away from Max and getting to his own feet and started behind Rick.

Max grabbed the pan and set it on the top of a trash can before leaving the food court and stepping up beside Tyson, Steve walking up beside Rick with Kai and Ray trailing behind them. Ray swinging their arms again and Kai smirked, he really liked doing that. He swung them out farther than what Ray had done, smirking wider as he watched Ray's lips upturn into a smile.

"This has been nice." Ray said, leaning into Kai's side.

"It hasn't really started yet." Kai snorted.

"Yeah, but still." Ray sighed, resting his head on Kai's shoulder as they wandered to the back side of the mall where the laser tag sat.

Getting inside through the heavy glass door they paid for their rounds, putting away their jackets and other belongings in the lockers provided and stepped into the room where they grabbed the vests. Kai and Ray grabbing the red, Max and Tyson the blue, Rick and Steve grabbing the green as other random teens and adults went about and picked through the different colored vests until there were three teams of six.

They were instructed out into the darkened room, only neon paint and their vests and tasers lighting up the space. As Rick had said the place was huge, upbeat music playing overhead of them as the air was cool. The three teams separated to their own bases, waiting for the count down for the game to start. Ray bouncing on his heels, having been forced to put his hair up since it covered the sensor on his back.

"Do you want to split up or stick together?" He asked, standing beside Kai who looked like he was about to go into a war zone.

"If you can keep up." He smirked, though Ray could hardly see him. Their vests flickering red, casting the glow just enough to illuminate their chins and shoulders and waists.

Ray went to speak when a voice came over, counting down for the game to start and then a loud buzzer went off and their team scattered out as did the others in their corners of the spacious, dark, room.

In minutes the two got separated, each crouching around pillars that were painted in red neon paint as they kept their ears open for any oncoming attacks. They were at a disadvantage compared to the other four, they had no idea where to go to find the others bases whereas the others had already done this before.

A set of quick steps were approaching Ray and he spun, his heart leaping in his chest as the flicker of blue lights rushed past him. He took off after them, not being seen and felt like a cat stalking an unsuspecting mouse. Shooting at the back of the opposing opponents vest, ducking away before they turned around and saw him.

"Are you kidding?" He heard Max's voice whine before Max kept going on.

Ray held in a laugh, the poor kid was probably lost again.

Taking off towards a ramp he found himself on a second balcony, over looking the floor below but couldn't see down around the pillars and blockades set up. There were small pockets that couldn't be used as a cover, finding a spot to stake out for a minute he stood there and waited. Green flickered past and he took aim and fired, hitting the left shoulder sensor and ducked around as the other player rose their taser to return fire.

The green player cursed under their breath, it was probably the woman he had seen ogling Rick and that was why she had picked to be on the green team.

Ray sucked in some air, feeling a rush of adrenaline surge through him. This was exciting.

He took off across the cat-walk that overlooked the first floor, eyes darting over either side of the railings as he tried to keep an eye out for anyone below him. Not seeing the flicker of blue standing in front of him, his vest making a noise that let him know he had been hit.

"Should pay attention there Ray." Came Tyson's voice before the blue dashed off into the darkness.

Ray sighed, his taser unresponsive for ten seconds from being hit and losing ten points of his life. He kept on going towards the end of the ramp, counting down in his head for when he could use his taser again. He didn't know where he was but now the pillars were painted in neon green. He was hoping he was close to the base, he could get in and take it down and get out if he was careful enough; he still had forty life points left.

His ears perked as more footsteps were coming towards him, there was nowhere to hide in time and held his taser up, finger on the trigger as he waited for the person to come his way and barely stopped himself from firing when red lights flickered.

"Whoa, same team buddy!" The guy held his hands up, his taser being lifted.

Ray sighed and lowered his down, "I'm looking for the base."

"I think it's this way." The guy directed with his taser, it being the only thing visible enough in the darkness.

Ray nodded and stepped closer to him, feeling slightly better that now he wasn't alone. Following the guy through what seemed like a maze of pillars and walls, getting turned around more times than he cared to admit. This guy was getting them lost and nowhere, the only good side to it was he could use him as a human shield to get out of a pinch if they ran into either of the opposing teams.

Not to mention the guy kept talking, going off in a voice loud enough that was going to give them away. Did he not understand the concept behind being silent and deadly?

The guy led them to another dead end, Ray had enough of this and turned around to leave him. His heart slamming in his chest as green flickered right before him, he could tell with how high the lights were coming off that it was Rick standing there with his taser pointed at him.

Ray rose his gun up, getting shot in the chest and made his taser useless, docking ten more life points off of him. The guy was just as useless, running off on him and leaving him there. He backed away, counting down in his head when he'd be able to fire again as Rick stepped closer with his taser still raised in Ray's direction.

Just as he counted to ten and his finger went to pull the trigger Rick did the same, the cooldown effecting how many times you could hit the same person again to make it fair in situations like these. Yet when the two went to shoot a flash of red lights came down between the two of them over the half wall that was to Ray's left, Rick's vest going off quickly signaling he had been shot in the chest.

Ray didn't have anytime to register what had happened, getting grabbed under the arm and hauled past Rick as his taser was now left useless. Ray recognized the familiar hand on his skin, smirking slightly as Kai led them around a corner away from Rick. Pressing their backs up against the wall with their tasers raised.

"How many points do you have left?" Kai whispered.

"Thirty…" Ray mumbled, "You?"

"Fifty."

Ray could hear the smugness in his tone, "I shot Max." He tried to sound happy.

"I took him out." Kai responded dryly, looking around the corner of the wall they were pressed up against. "I got close to their base, they have it guarded with two other people though."

"I was looking for this one, followed another guy on our team and he left me behind when Rick showed up." Ray whispered.

"Hn, guess you should have stuck with me." Kai chuckled quietly, his body tensing as the sounds of someone approaching them reached his hearing over the music.

Ray could feel him tensing up beside him, his heart pounding in his chest as they waited behind their cover for whoever it was coming their way. Holding his breath as two sets of blue lights went past them.

"Take the left then take the right." Kai instructed quietly, rolling around the wall to go after the two opposing opponents.

Ray followed after him quietly, standing just slightly to his left as he raised his taser against the back of the left one still walking quickly ahead of them.

"Now." Kai breathed.

The two pulled their triggers, the lights on the blue vests flickering frantically as they made the familiar sounds of them being hit. The two switching their targets and knocking another five points off their lives, smirking victoriously behind them as they ducked around opposite walls across from each other.

"Sorry, I'm out man." One said.

"No worries dude, I got twenty left." It was Tyson's voice, Kai and Ray smirking hard at hearing it.

Kai motioned for Ray to join him against his cover, Ray ducking his head around the corner to see if Tyson had left and the coast was clear. He rushed over towards him, only to get pulled up and kissed hard on the mouth.

"I thought we were saving that for the movie?" Ray asked, the adrenaline pumping through him harder.

"I'm going to go after him, try and knock him out."

"How many people have you knocked out?" Ray asked, his eyes wide even if Kai couldn't see.

"Blue has two left, including Tyson. Green has Steve and Rick."

Ray's mouth dropped, had they even been playing _that_ long for him to have swept through this place like _that_?!

"I'll go with you." Ray said quickly, if Tyson had only twenty points left they could both get him in the chest and take him out.

"You keep looking for the base and then we'll go back to the blue base to end this." Kai instructed, sounding like a commanding Sargent in the army.

"Alright. Be careful." Ray said, getting kissed on the mouth hard before Kai swept around the wall.

Ray glanced around, seeing an opening he could squeeze through between two corners of the wall he was standing beside and another pillar painted up in green neon paint. Quietly he started that way, his taser held up at the ready for any opponents. Through the crawl space he came out into the green teams base, smiling wide as he aimed up at the target and fired. Waiting for the cool down again before he fired a second time. How many times did he have to do this?!

His ears perked after his fourth shot, spinning around. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to defend himself or not but held his taser up at the ready for whoever it was coming. As he saw the flicker of green coming into view he shot, the green vest going off.

"Oh c'mon!" Steve yelled, "That was my last point."

"Should watch where you're going." Ray said smugly, knowing Steve couldn't see him in the darkness of the room.

"R-Ray?!"

"The one and only." He teased and turned back to the bases target, hitting it again and the green lights flicked off. The green base was finally taken down and he felt victorious.

"Rick is still out there, good luck." Steve waved him off, going to find the exit with the rest of the people who got knocked out.

Ray didn't hear him, already scoping out where he needed to go next. He ducked his head around, how many people were even left on _their_ team?! He should have asked apparently.

He slithered around the corner, trying to keep his breathing shallow as his eyes darted left and right, taking cover where he could and peeking around it carefully. Green had Rick left, Blue had the two guards at the base and possibly Tyson left. He still had thirty life points, he could do this.

Just as the neon green painted pillars turned into neon blue a hand came down on his shoulder and he about jumped ten-feet in the air.

"It's okay, it's just me." Kai whispered out quietly, letting his hand come down from Ray's shoulder where he had felt him trying to jump out of his own skin.

"God… Stop doing that!" Ray yelled, trying to still his racing heart. It was bad enough Kai scared him like that during the daytime, in a pitch black place like this he was surprised he hadn't keeled over from fright.

"I didn't get him. He ran back to the base." Kai said, ignoring Ray's words.

"How many do we have left on our team?" Ray asked, hoping Kai would know.

"Just us, that guy you got lost with got in the crossfire with Tyson. We both shot him, lost the remainder of his points." Kai explained.

"How many do you have left?" Ray asked next, hoping that Kai still had more than he did.

"Ten…" Kai answered and Ray's mouth dropped.

"How did you lose forty points?!"

Kai shrugged, the only indicator that he had were the lights on his vest moving. "Tyson got my chest; the idiot got my shoulder and Rick got my back. Tyson took out Rick and then when the cool down passed for him and I he got me in the chest again. I ran off, and he got my back again."

"Well shit…" Ray muttered, shaking his head a little. "I took out Steve."

"I know, I saw him leaving." Kai smirked, Ray not seeing it but could hear the approval in his tone.

"How do you want to do this then?"

"Honestly? Let them win." Kai answered in a dull tone.

"You can't be serious."

"We can't take out three, two who probably have all their points. Plus, we're going to miss the movie if this doesn't end soon enough." Kai answered in that same dull tone.

"I… I completely forgot about the movie." Ray chuckled lightly, "Alright. We'll go together then." He reached for Kai's hand in the darkness, their fingers lacing together upon contact.

The two continued to wander through the neon blue pillars and walls until they reached the opening where the base sat, immediately the two guards lifted their guns and fired. Knocking Kai out quickly and then Ray, Tyson was gone and more than likely taking down their base to win the game.

Suddenly there was an alarm going off, the winners being announced over the intercom as the lights flashed on blinding them all momentarily. The blue team had won, but Kai and Ray didn't really care.

Finally able to look at each other they noticed they were both covered in a thin sheet of sweat, some of their hair had come out from their hair-ties and the pieces stuck to their foreheads. It was a good thing they had taken off their jackets before playing, otherwise they would have cooked alive despite the cold air of the arena.

"Good game you two." One of the guards said, a small petite woman who looked to be in her early twenties.

"Maybe next time you'll win." The other said with a wink, another woman who was slightly taller than the other and held her hand out for the girl beside her.

Kai and Ray arched a brow, watching them leave. "They make a cute couple." Ray said offhandedly.

Kai nodded, not sure what to say all of a sudden and squeezed Ray's hand in his gently. "Think we make a pretty good one too."

Ray's heart fluttered, "I think so." He said fondly and tugged on Kai's hand. "Let's get out of here."

Kai let him lead them out of the maze, finding the exit quickly as the lights were on and joined the others where they were stripping off their vests and hanging them up where they had gotten them from earlier.

"That was a great game guys!" Tyson was already beaming, his own face dripping with sweat.

"You left me again!" Max hit him in the arm.

Ray snickered, hanging his vest up quietly beside Kai. "They should just kiss and make up." Kai muttered.

Ray nodded, "I agree." He chuckled, taking up Kai's hand again and turning to the others. "We're heading out now, see you guys after the break."

"Bye guys, enjoy your date." Max waved, being interrupted with his and Tyson's bickering match.

"You too Max." Ray winked at him, watching his long time friend go completely red in the face and stuttering uncontrollably.

Kai dragged Ray out of there, finally away from the others and grabbed their things from the lockers. Too hot from the game they held their jackets in the folds of their arms, going out towards the theater again on the second floor.

Ray paid for the tickets, Kai got the popcorn and drinks. They weren't lucky enough to get a seat in the back, settling for the middle on the end of the row. Even if they had gotten the seats in the back it wouldn't have mattered, the two of them were glued to the screen the entire time. By the time the movie was done they both had tears in their eyes and feeling exhausted. Kai checked the time on his phone, it was nearing seven at night now, they had three hours before they needed to be home.

"What do you feel like eating?" Ray asked as they dumped their trash away, leaving the theater.

"Check the directory, see what they have?" Kai offered, already tugging Ray towards one that stood near the top of the stairs.

Ray glanced over it quickly, Kai doing the same quietly beside him. Once more their hands held together tightly, their shoulders barely an inch apart.

"How about this place?" Ray pointed out an Italian name, the place was located on the third floor.

Kai nodded, "Sounds good."

Ray smiled as they took to the next flight of stairs, their jackets back on as they had gotten chilled during the movie. It took them twenty minutes to get a seat, one close to the windows that over looked the parking lot below them and the lights that littered the skyline past them.

Ray had been stuck looking out the window the second they sat down, feeling a wash of calm coming over him. Kai stared ahead at him, realizing Ray didn't even notice his staring and found it rather cute. How easily he could just let go like that, be relaxed after a day out like they had even with what was to come next.

They had a week off of school which was more than welcoming and needed, though the thought of having to go back neither were looking forward too, and now they had the paternity test on Saturday. Neither wanted to discuss either issue, or the court dates that were lined up one after the other. When their food came they avoided the topics, mainly eating quietly with the brief talking about one thing or another that kept their spirits up; both needing it like air.

With an hour and half to spare in getting home, before their curfew, they packed up their leftovers and climbed back into the car once they reached it. The parking lot looking more dead than before, only being lit up by the street lamps that were spaced around the parking lot.

Getting the heat going inside the car the two just sat back for a minute, letting the day out really sink in. Wanting to hold onto it with all they could for what it was worth.

"I really had fun today." Kai broke the silence, figuring it had gone on long enough as the car was already warmer than what it had previously been.

"Me too."

"Thank you…" Kai said, turning to look at Ray in the passenger seat beside him.

"You're welcome, thank you for wanting to do this with me." Ray said, another blush spreading across his cheeks and it only intensifying when Kai reached across the armrests and took up his hand and kissed the top of it, along the scars there.

Ray's breath got stuck in his throat, his heart picking up speed within his chest as it fluttered harder than ever before. Once more he wanted to throw caution out of the window, not care how long it had been since they started to date. He didn't care how far it would go, knowing it couldn't go that far to begin with but wanted to feel him pressed against him. Wanted him close and not care of the consequences if they were late coming home.

"Kai…" He breathed out heavily, glancing up where gold met crimson.

Kai swallowed the lump in his throat, letting Ray's hand go and then lifted the armrests that sat between them without breaking the eye contact. There went the caution, the thoughts of it being too soon going right out the window with it.

Ray watched him slide closer, his eyes slipping closed the second Kai's lips were pressed against his. The temperature within the car getting that much hotter instantly and only increasing as Kai shifted himself awkwardly over Ray's lap without breaking the mind numbing kiss.

Ray moved away from the door, giving Kai's leg the room it needed to bend between him and the door. His hands reaching up to Kai's jacket, zipping it down and pushing through the flaps with his hands as they got a mind of their own. Running over Kai's chest through the soft fabric of his shirt, inhaling heavily through the kiss and getting hit with Kai's cologne and the aftertaste of his dinner on his lips.

Finally settling more on Ray's lap Kai deepened the kiss, his own hands holding onto Ray's shoulders as he tried not to put too much pressure down against him. Being confined to such a small space made his body burn that much more, he couldn't touch him like he wanted to, yet reveled in the touches against his own chest and stomach.

Their minds hazed, the warning bells thrown out the window and the caution blowing away with the breeze Ray jerked his hips up. Pulling Kai's hips down to meet him, moving against him as he felt them connect. Kai's mouth opened slightly, enough for Ray's tongue to slip in quickly and pushed against his quickly as he brought him back down against him.

"Ray…" Kai panted, pulling away breathlessly.

Ray sighed, he fucked up again apparently. He opened his mouth to apologize, getting cut off as Kai caught his lips in a more bruising kiss than what they had just done. This time taking over in how it went, pressing his tongue into Ray's mouth feverishly.

Ray's eyes closed again as a noise left his throat, getting that as the go-ahead he pulled Kai back down into him. Grinding that much harder to match the power in the kiss, his breath leaving his lungs as he could feel himself starting to sweat suddenly.

Just as Kai was getting bolder in how he kissed him, with his fingers finally brushing through the hair at the nape of Ray's neck. He in turn was getting bolder with his own hands as they ran down his chest, pressing Kai's shirt against him harder until they reached the bottom and slipped up without warning.

Instantly his fingers brushed over three scars, right around the top of Kai's jeans and the boy on top of him flinched slightly as he could feel Ray's fingers going across them tenderly. He kept their lips locked, even if he wanted to pull apart and end this before it did get to a point they couldn't slam on the brakes.

Neither had that option as there was a quick tap on the window, the two breaking apart so fast Kai almost fell back into the dash behind him. Both sets of eyes went wide, looking into humorous gray eyes paired off with a knowing smirk.

Kai swallowed hard, hitting the button for the window and rolled it down as Ray became suddenly frozen underneath him.

"Bryan." Kai greeted in the best voice he could muster, trying to regain his bearings.

"Kai, Ray." Bryan greeted both of them, that humorous look and smirk not leaving his face. "Hate to be the one doing this, but you are on public property which can be classified as a misdemeanor if you keep this up." He informed.

"Best get home, before someone other than me rolls on by." He stated and turned to leave them, his car parked sideways two spaces over.

Kai nodded even though Bryan couldn't see him, rolling the window back up before he shuffled himself off of Ray's lap best he could without hurting Ray or damaging Natasha's car any; or himself.

The ride home was marred by silence, both too embarrassed to utter a word for the forty minute drive back and making it home with twenty minutes to spare. Even stepping into the house, where they were greeted by Tala and Micah, they were still dripping with awkwardness and bid them a quick goodnight. They dressed separately, Ray in the bathroom and Kai in the bedroom, and when Ray came back he glanced at the couch and the bed where Kai was already laid down but clearly awake even if his back was facing him.

Out went the caution and embarrassment through the window again, his feet carrying him to the bed on their own where he knew he'd sleep better regardless if they did or didn't do anything.

The second his body had dipped the bed down beside Kai, the older teen rolled over giving no heed or warning as he climbed over Ray's hips and took his lips back with his.

Nothing had to happen and nothing did, the two passing out after an hour of making out and then ending up wrapped around the others arms tightly till morning.


	32. Blood Means Nothing

**Welcome back guys, hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was decent enough.  
I'm glad ya'll liked their lil date last chapter, I have never been Laser Tagging before so watched some YouTube videos and Julia helped give me the run down on the rules. Either way, here we go!**

* * *

Ch 32- Blood Means Nothing. Saturday, November 24th.

The week off for Thanksgiving break was more than just that, it was a break from life for the two of them. Something they both had been craving, looking forward too even. That wonderful family feeling only strengthening as Ray helped prepare dinner with Natasha on Thursday, normally Ray would either be stuck working at the diner on Thursday. Although he had gotten the day off he turned around and worked two shifts on Black Friday; from noon to almost four in the morning. When he got home he didn't even bother changing clothes and just flopped himself down onto Kai's bed beside him, passing out the second his body relaxed.

All week he had been trying to not think of Saturday, but as with any other break it went by too fast and his alarm went off beside him on the table at eight thirty. He groaned and turned it off, rolling over towards the warmth beside him as the room was thrown back into the morning silence, curling into Kai's back with his arm draped over his side. To hell if they were late, he didn't care, they had three hours to get there and it would take one to actually get to the place.

Kai had other plans, being woken up from the alarm and then Ray's body pressing into his he cracked his eyes open and yawned. Trying to stretch out best he could in the little space allotted to him, his knee almost knocking against his wall.

"Babe." He mumbled groggily, trying to turn over and felt Ray's grip on him tighten.

"You're warm…" Ray mumbled into the back of Kai's hair, having just laid down he hadn't properly gotten under the sheets. His toes were chilled, his arms no better.

Kai chuckled a little, his face getting warmer suddenly. He reached around, brushing his fingers against the top of Ray's hand where he had it held over his stomach.

"And we need to get up." Kai reminded in a quiet voice.

Hell, he didn't want to do this either but wanted to be there for him. Natasha and Micah were hell bent on going with them too, Kai having told them about it on Tuesday since Ray hadn't spoken up about it and was more than likely not going to.

"I know… But I'm so tired…" Ray yawned, finally letting Kai go and rolled himself onto his feet where he stretched his arms above his head. His back and neck popping with a satisfying crack, letting out a small gasp as everything seemed to realign on him.

Kai rolled over next, going from his left side to his right as his eyes grazed over Ray quickly. Watching him stretch out, finding the room getting hotter within seconds.

After the weekend before that was the last time they had really done anything that hard, once more both agreeing that things needed to go slower for the sake of their relationship. They still slept together now, more permanently, with the occasional goodnight and good morning kiss before Ray would leave for work.

They had survived three weeks and yet it didn't feel like it, to either of them.

"I'm going to go smoke and then take a shower before mom and dad get up." Ray announced as he stepped up to the dresser and fished out his pack, he had been sparing with them and had seven left. He plucked out two and his lighter without a word back, slipping out of their room.

Kai didn't protest, knowing he needed it today. More than likely both of Mariah's parents were going to be there, no doubt Lee was going to be as well so he couldn't blame Ray for being stressed about it. This would be the first time in a week since either had seen the siblings, would be a first that he and his parents met the other parents.

Part of him was feeling apprehensive about it too, while the other part of him was already changing gears and going on the defensive. Who knew what was fixing to happen, how Natasha and Micah would handle meeting the other two adults through all of this. Silently he prayed it wouldn't get bad, Natasha had a fire in her that couldn't be easily doused.

As long as he was there, giving the strength Ray needed that was all that mattered. Get in and get out so they could go back to enjoying the rest of their weekend and break, before being tossed back into the pits of hell.

Ray sucked down his first cigarette, sitting on the last step of the back porch as he held his free arm around him through the cold morning air. His nerves felt like they were at their breaking point now, next week he would be going back to school on top of work, having to shift to the night shifts, and then practice for track was starting up almost immediately.

The week after that would be the first hearing against Brooklyn and then next month would be the first against Stan, how he was going to survive on five cigarettes was beyond him but he couldn't think of a way to get more right now. Tala seemed to understand, he could always ask him but that ran the risk of getting both of them in trouble; he couldn't do that to him.

The glass doors behind him slid open and he jumped out of his skin, quickly going to snub out the cigarette as he choked on the inhale of smoke as Micah stepped out and sat down beside him.

"It's okay." He told him quickly, seeing the fear in Ray's eyes.

Ray looked away in guilt, "I'm sorry…" He held the cigarette away from him, trying to spare him from the smell and smoke.

"It's really okay Ray, I know it's not easy to get through all of this without something holding you together." Micah said, eyes off in front of him at the fence that surrounded his property.

Ray nodded subtly, this was weird. He and Micah really didn't talk much, they were both at work too often to really have a conversation. He had a feeling the man didn't like him all that well, only agreeing to let him stay because Natasha had said it was alright.

"I just wanted to let you know…" Micah drifted off, clearing his throat. He wasn't that great at these types of things.

"That you're not alone in this, or anything that maybe coming your way here." He finished off, patting the teen's shoulder in a very fatherly way.

"T… Thanks…" Ray said as his eyes darted to the side, studying Micah's face quickly and noticed he still wasn't looking at him and looked away just as quickly.

Micah inhaled heavily, trying to stop his nose from curling at the smoke drifting by him. "You know… Um… Tala used to smoke."

"I know, he told me…" Ray answered, eyeing the one still between his fingers as it was slowly burning down.

"I um… I used to drink, a lot…" Micah said, trying to open up with him.

Ray cocked a brow, wondering where all of this was suddenly coming from but couldn't think of anything to say back.

"It almost ruined my marriage, so I forced myself to seek help." Micah continued, the air around them getting more awkward and he rubbed the back of his head. "I know it's not the same as smoking, but it's still a vice that can take hold of you."

Ray nodded his understanding, "I've tried to quit before."

"Well… There's medications out there, you know, that can help?"

Ray nodded again, staring at the cigarette one last time before snubbing it out on the wood of the step he was sitting on.

Micah tried not to smile, "One day at a time though son, the last thing we need is you hurting yourself here." He placed his hand back on Ray's shoulder, giving it small shake.

"Thank you." Ray said, finally looking around and meeting the man's eyes. "For everything, really. I know we haven't had the chance to really get to know one another, but I'm really grateful for everything. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Ah, I don't think you could even if you tried." Micah smiled at him, shaking his shoulder again a bit more roughly. "As long as you keep being you, trying to get through this and lean on those that you need and who need you. I think you'll do fine."

"Thanks Micah…" Ray said, trying to find his voice that suddenly didn't work on him. This was nice, maybe the man really didn't hate him like he thought.

With another pat and awkward nod of his own head Micah pushed himself up, leaving Ray there on the step as he went back into his warm home and slid the door closed. It was his turn to about jump out of his skin, finally noticing Kai standing there against the wall by the doors. His arms folded over his chest, his ankles crossed and his eyes closed as he had been waiting for Micah to come back in to find out what had been said.

Micah could see Kai's body was stiff, probably thinking the two had it out there about the smoking. Even though it was nothing like that.

"I think you've picked a good one there, Kai."

Kai cracked his eyes open, meeting Micah's gaze and nodded as his muscles relaxed. "Thanks dad."

Micah smiled at him before wandering down the hall back to his room, needing to wake up his wife so they could leave. Kai watched him for a minute and peeled his back away from the wall, sliding the door open quietly and sat down beside Ray as he was sucking on his second cigarette. The moment Micah was gone he had already lit up, staring off at the fence now as the gentle breeze played with his bangs as they swayed and tickled his face.

"You going to be alright?" Kai asked, putting a hand around Ray's back gently.

"I think so."

* * *

Grabbing something to eat for the hour drive out to the city the two boys sat in the back quietly, nibbling what they could stomach of their breakfast burritos as Natasha weaved in and out of the heavy city traffic. Ray would be lying if he said his heart hadn't stopped at least twenty times through the entire ride. Being used to the way his mother drove Kai barely bat an eye, letting Ray squeeze the life out of his hand that rested over his left thigh every time the car lurched to one side around a turn.

What should have taken an hour took thirty minutes, pulling up to a small clinic that sat on the edge of the city. Ray could see Lee's SUV sitting near the back of the parking lot, his blood running cold suddenly.

Natasha slammed the car into park and shoved open her door, already out on the hunt for blood. Micah following after her quietly as the boys climbed out of the back, taking up each other's hands like they always did and followed after them as Natasha stormed through the clinics heavy glass doors.

The receptionist, a middle-aged woman with thick brown curly hair glanced up at them and smiled. "Good morning, how can I help you?"

Ray glanced around the waiting room; there were at least three couples, two of the three already showing signs of being pregnant while another wept into her partners shoulder with a print out of pictures. There was another girl sitting three seats away from who Ray assumed was her mother, neither looking happy. Then his eyes landed on the Wongs, each set of yellow eyes piercing him and he shook as if a cold wind had stung him through the skin to his bones.

"We're here for a paternity test, Ray Kon." Natasha said heatedly, her own icy-blue eyes darting around the room in her agitation.

The woman nodded, going through the computer before looking up at the family of four. "Just need him to fill out these papers." She printed them off, rolling around the small space of her desk to grab the papers and stuck them under a clipboard, handing them over the top of the desk to Natasha who snatched it from her.

"Boys." She barked, taking them towards where the Wongs stood.

Ray's feet started to pull him back, why would Natasha lead them over there so quickly?!

Kai felt the tug back, turning and giving him an apologetic smile as he tugged him forward, almost pulling Ray off his feet.

"It's going to be okay, let mom handle it." He whispered against the side of Ray's head, leaving a small kiss there before he pulled away and then narrowed his red gaze at the family.

Ray nodded as they came to a row of uncomfortable seats, Natasha taking the end and sitting down as she fluidly crossed her legs. Eyes hard on the family that she chose to sit directly across, her shoulders rigid and the heat in her eyes rising.

Mariah's mother noticed the hard look, matching Natasha's stare with her own from where she sat beside her daughter. An arm around her shoulders supportively, Mariah not looking up from her lap once. Lee's eyes had been darting from Kai to Ray, sitting on the other side of his sister protectively with their father on his other side.

Kai returned the silent looks, feeling Ray starting to tremble beside him and rubbed the top of his hand with his thumb in a soothing gesture. This was, undoubtedly, a waste of time but they had to get it done. End this stupidity once and for all so they both could be rid of her.

Natasha passed the clipboard with the papers Ray needed to sign down the row to him, from Micah to Kai until he had them in his hands and glanced over the questions.

He plucked the pen out that had been clipped to the board, clicking it furiously before he put it down and started to fill it out. First his name, date of birth and his social security number until he paused for a second.

"I don't know my blood type…" He was mainly talking to himself but Kai's ears perked, leaning into his shoulder.

"Just leave it then."

Ray nodded, passing that question to fill out the rest. Jotting down Kai's home address instead of his old one, down to his phone number and then Natasha's cell number as the next contact.

By the time he was done filling out the form they had already called Mariah back into the room, her mother still locked in a staring match with Natasha going with her. Although she was now gone the room still felt heavy with tension, the men on her side grazing their eyes over the family that sat across from them challengingly.

The side door opened again five minutes later, "Ray Kon." The nurse barked out, looking displeased.

Ray huffed and stood up, feeling Lee and his father's eyes on him get harder as he avoided looking at them at all. Kai stood with him, their hands having been disconnected when Ray got up.

"You don't have to come." Ray whispered, holding the clipboard at his side.

"I know." Kai said in a sweet tone, grabbing Ray's free hand again.

Ray didn't say anything as they followed the nurse down the hall, being shown a small room where he promptly sat down on the end of the blue medical chair. The paper under him crinkling as he sat down, putting the clipboard over his lap as he watched the nurse go around the room and the metal tray she needed.

"Tell me your name, age, and date of birth." It wasn't so much as a question, but an order, that the nurse snapped at him once she had the tray where she wanted.

"Ray Kon, seventeen, and October 16th, 2001."

"A bit young to be a father, don't you think?" The woman chided, glancing at the paper work Ray had handed her to make sure his information was correct. "You don't know your own blood type?" She huffed.

Ray's mouth had opened to speak and respond to the first statement, getting cut off and turned around quickly by the second one.

"No." He answered.

Kai's glare intensified as he stood beside Ray on the chair, pulling his arms over his chest before he lashed out and biting his tongue.

"Hm, well just relax and open your mouth for me." The nurse said, setting down the clipboard and pulling on some gloves.

Ray did what she said, trying to relax as well as he could but somehow finding it hard to do. Clearly the woman didn't like him, which wasn't that surprising but it still hurt.

The woman stepped up with a cotton swab pinched between her fingers, grabbing his chin as his mouth opened and pinched there harder. Ray tried to jerk back but her grip was hard as she shoved the swab into his mouth, making him choke for a second as it swiped around the corners and roof of his mouth quickly before she jerked it out and stuck it in the sterile bottle.

"Remove your jacket." She ordered, twisting the lid on the bottle closed.

"What for?" Ray choked, still trying to catch his breath for a minute after having that thing jabbed down his throat.

"Blood sample." The woman responded dryly.

"This was supposed to be just a mouth swab." Kai said heatedly, his back going ridged as his glare intensified ten-fold. If it could, it would have killed her.

As if just noticing him there the nurse looked up, "Who are you?" She asked in a patronizing tone.

"His boyfriend." Kai responded darkly.

The woman's blonde brows rose as her face fell, looking between the two of them. "Oh… Well…" She stuttered, her brain trying to work over time to put the pieces together of what little she really knew.

Ray sighed, going to the zipper of his jacket and shaking it off behind him on the chair. "I'm not paying for all of this, am I?" He asked.

The woman frowned, clearly not liking that statement as she gathered the items she needed to take his blood.

"Oh, you poor thing. Worried about having to pay for something while the mother of your child has seven more months of this to get through." She snapped at him.

Ray's mouth opened to speak again, his brain trying to think of something quick to say as Kai's blood boiled.

"It's not mine!" Was all Ray could get out.

"That's what they all say." She shook her head, tearing open the alcohol pad she needed to clean up his arm.

His own eyes started to burn now, his stomach twisting in his anger as he held his arm up for her as she clocked the scarring there.

"And look at this mess you did to yourself, hardly old enough to be a father and hardly fit enough to not do something as stupid as this." She bit, wiping his tanned skin down roughly and making it red once she pulled away.

Ray bit his lip, thousands of colorful words wanting to break out of him but what good would it do?

Kai shifted where he stood, his hand itching to put it through something. His grip around his own arms getting tighter, his nails digging into the pale flesh.

Ray looked away as she brought the needle down to his arm, after tying a blue elastic ribbon just above his elbow, and then was jolted by the stab of it piercing his skin. Tears quickly flooded to his eyes as a whimper passed his closed lips. He had plenty of needles stick into him before but none had hurt like that did.

"If you hurt him one more time." Kai's voice slithered out, deeper and rumbling his chest as his crimson eyes became alight with a burning fire behind them.

The nurses blood chilled, doing her best to ignore him as she filled the two vials she needed with Ray's blood as it seeped through the tubing of the needle, that was stuck in the crease of his arm. Once she had what she needed she jerked the needle out, Ray expressing air in a hiss as he glared at the woman who knew exactly what she had been doing all along.

Without so much as another word to the two she wrapped his arm as it seeped with blood a little, tightening the light-brown sticky material around him too tightly. He shrugged his jacket back on, not even sparing her a second look as he jumped off the end of the chair and jerked the door open.

Kai followed after him, stomping as he went down the tiled hall back to his parents. Oh the things Natasha was going to say once he told her, he'd let her handle it. Woman to woman.

The second the door was cracked open for the waiting room they were met with an onslaught of angry voices bouncing back and forth, all sets of different colored eyes turning to the two of them as they stepped out. Clearly they hadn't come back soon enough.

In Mariah's hands she held a strip of print-outs, five in total. Though as Ray and Kai came out she ducked her head down, trying to avoid looking at either of them. Ray suddenly became immobilized in the doorway as Mariah's mother snatched the print-outs from her daughters limp grasp and went to step up and shove them in his face, getting cut off with Natasha sweeping in front of him protectively.

"You stay away from my son." She threatened in a low growl.

Mariah's mother blinked a few times at the woman, who was two feet taller than herself. "Your son?" She scoffed. "What about MY daughter?!" She screamed.

"That's your problem." Natasha responded coolly, "Should have taught her to keep her legs out of the air."

Everyone on Mariah's side went red in the face, their anger apparent at the jab. "You dare!" The woman shrieked, grabbing the attention of the others, old and newcomers alike, around them.

"If that petulant child would have just stepped up, admitted his faults, we wouldn't be here!" The woman continued in her high pitched rant, jabbing a finger around Natasha's shoulder at Ray who took a step back involuntary from her.

He had always looked to the Wongs as another family, he had known them for half of his life and this was what they really thought of him? After everything. Those warm Christmas mornings, birthdays, all the good memories getting shoved out because Mariah insisted on lying?!

"It's _NOT_ MINE!" His voice boomed out, strong and steady despite him visibly shaking.

"You stand there and lie to my face one more time boy." Mariah's father was the next to step up, standing behind his wife as Micah moved to stand beside his. Blocking both boys from them.

"The only one here lying is _her_!" Ray argued back, fighting back the tears and trying to keep his shaking less visible. The hurt, the anger, swirling together within every nerve of his being as he clutched his fists at his sides.

"While we're fucking at it, tell the both of them to stay the hell away from me!" He growled.

The two opposing adults eyes widened, they had never seen him lash out or use such foul words before and certainly not directed at them.

"Watch your tongue boy! If you were my son I'd clip you behind the ear for such language." Mariah's mother bit out.

"It's a good thing you're not then." Natasha stepped closer to the woman and man, both of them backing away slightly. "He's mine, not yours and you _will_ stay away from him and my family. Worry about yours while I worry about mine. Are we _clear_?" She asked in such a tone Ray wouldn't have believed it was her speaking if he hadn't been right there seeing it.

Mariah began to shake and tremble, Lee putting a protective arm around her shoulders as his eyes darted between their parents to Kai and Ray still being guarded by theirs.

"I _heard_ you two!"

"Oh yeah? How many times Lee? Once, twice? Please enlighten me here, seeing as how I'm A FUCKING VIRGIN!" Ray bit out in that same loud unwavering voice. "Why don't you get a clue here, it isn't mine! I never slept with her, why don't you ask Johnny, or Rick or Steve or Garland! Someone other than me, who is clearly _not_ into girls at all incase you haven't fucking noticed!"

The room went silent at that for a second, everyone trying to scramble for something more to say before Mariah's mother began spitting and sputtering out incoherent words that grabbed everyone's attention.

"You-You were with her a year! You said you loved her!"

"I. Lied." Ray retorted, narrowing his golden eyes at the woman.

"And so we should believe you about this!" Her father roared as tears rolled down Mariah's cheeks.

"Believe what you want, the test will prove it either way." Ray shrugged his shoulders at them, "If I have to pay a cent for this, I'm taking you to court for the repayment."

"While we're on that subject, we'll also be putting a restraining order on you and your spawns." Natasha added, smirking at the other two adults.

Mariah's parents glanced at one another quietly, unsure what to say now all of a sudden and turned to their two children and noticed the tears in their daughters eyes. As if reigniting the fire within them they turned back around, looking more angry now than before.

"This isn't over! When those results come back, _proving_ your little shit stain is a liar, we are going to suck him dry for everything that is in his name!" Her mother spat off, turning on her heel and grabbing her daughter by the shoulders and jerked her to face them all again like a pawn in a game of chess.

"Look at my daughter and tell me her life hasn't been ruined over this. She is the laughing stock of the school, losing her friends left and right while still having to go seven months through this and then the rest of her life."

Kai and Ray both snorted at that, Mariah was doing just fine. She had everyone rallying behind her through this, she wasn't alone, not nearly as alone as Ray was in this whole mess.

"Nobody said she had to keep it." Kai responded dryly, getting a gasp from both Lee and his mother.

"That, or the fact that this hasn't done any damage to her whatsoever. Unless she's the one getting death threats stuffed in her locker on a daily basis now, because I have. Or how about a book thrown at the back of her head? No, well that happened to me too. Then there's the issue of being put in the hospital, because Stan decided it would be a good lesson for me to learn that sex comes with consequences that were not mine to bear." Ray said in a neutral tone, looking between the Wongs.

"Hospital?" Her mother muttered as her hold on her daughters shoulders loosened their hold.

"Oh? Nobody told you?" Ray blinked at her mockingly. Pulling back his bangs and showed off not only the scar there on his forehead, but the ones that littered his fingers and hand.

"When you called that night." He started, staring at Mariah's mother before moving his gaze to her. "When _you_ kept up this stupid lie, I was beaten within an inch of my goddam life! _You_ almost ruined my life that night, and everything else!" He yelled, staying behind Natasha and Micah as he glared over their shoulders.

"Then, you want to know what the best kicker is here?!" He got louder, "That _your_ shit stain of a son said my uncle should have beaten me more!"

Once more Mariah's mother gasped, as did Mariah. Natasha and Micah narrowed their eyes at the short black haired male, looking as though he had just got caught in the crossfires of a hunters rifle.

"Lee, you didn't…" His mother gasped, appalled at such a thing from her own flesh and blood.

Lee stuttered out, unsure what to say suddenly now the tables had turned on him.

"Looks like your family has more knots in it than I had originally thought." Natasha said in a patronizing tone, glancing humorously and murderously between them all.

"At least my family is whole." The woman jabbed back through grit teeth, "That we are actually blood."

"Blood means nothing, not when it doesn't have the love behind it." Natasha waved at the woman's words, as if she were waving them out of the air around them.

"Let's go boys." She commanded, marching past the Wongs in stride with her family tailing after her.

Mariah's head finally jerked up as Ray swept past her, "You broke my heart!"

"I did nothing." Ray spat as he turned on his heel, letting Kai's hand go as he did so. "You stepped out first, not me."

"And you still chose _him_ over _me_?!" Her voice strained out, "Even without the baby?!"

"With or without, since it's not mine. But yes, I would have chosen him over you sooner or later." He answered in a neutral tone, "I'd wish you and Johnny luck, but I don't really feel like it after being gagged and stabbed by that demon of a nurse."

"How did you know?!" Mariah cried out.

Both Kai and Ray's lips upturned into smirks, looking smug as she had finally slipped and her mother jerked her hands off her daughters shoulders as if she had been burnt. Lee's eyes wide at the revelation and their father choking on his anger and spit suddenly.

"I didn't." Ray answered, "Was just a guess." He shrugged his shoulders.

Mariah's mouth gaped open, thinking back on the night he had come to her and had possibly heard Johnny in her closest until it finally clicked. He had bluffed and she had gotten caught now.

"Johnny?!" Was the only thing Lee could get out, his mouth fallen open like his sisters. "All this time it's been Johnny?!" He roared and watched as his sister shrunk back from him.

Their mother and father turned on each other as the other family kept walking out, leaving the four of them yelling and cursing in Mandarin at each other at the top of their lungs.

Before they stepped out Natasha turned to the receptionist, having heard what had happened in the room to Ray she was still on the hunt for blood.

"Where is the nurse that took the samples from my son?" She asked heatedly, the fire in her eyes still burning.

"I'm not at liberty to say ma'am." The receptionist shrunk back from her.

"I'm sure you will be when I have my lawyers contact you." With that she turned on her heel again, her long red hair following her every movement as she shoved open the glass doors and stormed to her car.

"Lunch boys?" She asked as the boys climbed into the car around her, the doors closing simultaneously.

"Sure." She got a collective round of approval.

* * *

"You two did amazing." Natasha said as she sat back from the table, the waiter placing down their dishes around them as her boys sat across from her.

"Thanks mom…" Ray blushed a little, he was never going to get tired of saying that.

She had been more of a mother than he had ever had before, had ever hoped to have through all of this and she deserved it. Even if it had only been a few weeks, he felt a closeness with her that he hadn't had with any other motherly figure like this.

"How's your arm?" Kai asked, glancing down at it now that Ray had removed the wrapping.

"It's a little sore, just glad she didn't blow out the vein…" Ray grumbled.

"You have a day left before school starts, are you both caught up with your work?" Micah asked as he picked around his plate of food, the two nodding at him as they were busy eating.

They had plans of just crawling back into bed and sleeping the rest of the day and the next away, to prepare them for the week that was to come. Ray didn't work Sundays, sometimes it was a blessing other times he wouldn't mind, but for tomorrow he was looking forward to not having to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed and Kai's arms.

"Your father and I have some errands to run in the morning, you two going to be alright on your own?" Natasha asked as she glanced up at them again, finishing her second forkful of food.

Kai nodded as did Ray, though his was a bit slower of a nod and prayed that Tala was going to be home. Who knew what could happen, how far they would let something happen, if the house was completely empty. The devil on his shoulder prayed that Tala would stay out, like he had been the past few weekends to spend time with his own boyfriend.

Natasha smiled at them gently and very motherly before she went back to focusing on eating, her family doing the same quietly.

An hour later they were back in the car heading home and like the boys had planned they crashed down on the bed together, exhausted from the day and just wanting to be close to on another. The only thing they had stripped out of were their jackets and shoes, not even bothering with covering with the sheets or closing the door.

With the late lunch they weren't hungry for dinner and trying to get them up was a wasted attempt, since neither budged and inch. Leaving the two adults to eat alone, Tala not showing up again for the night, until they too took themselves to bed to sleep off the day.

* * *

Sunday, November 25th.

Without an alarm, but after sleeping for almost twelve hours already, the two woke up to an empty and quiet house. Neither sure what to do first, this wasn't new but it was still different. All at once wanted and not wanted at the same time, it was just a matter of who made the first move and when.

Regrettably Kai moved first, going to take a morning shower and the moment he was gone from the room Ray gathered up his strength to get to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them. He didn't even bother changing the clothes he had worn the day before, not caring either way since they weren't that dirty anyways.

By the time the eggs and pancakes were done Kai finally emerged from the bathroom, his hair still damp as he rubbed his towel through it and had put on a pair of dark sweats and a baggy band t-shirt that slightly hung off his shoulders.

Coffee had already been made, waiting for him in the pot and for a minute the two got collectively lost in the feeling of this. Small daydreams of what it would really be like, doing this on their own in their own place. Already it had felt right, like this was how it was meant to be and the idea of actually living together later down the road just amplified the feelings.

Even with the silence it wasn't uncomfortable, the two breathing it in like they needed. Maybe being alone wouldn't be so bad, too hard, they just had to stay away from the other until someone else showed up…

Four hours, two and a half movies, and a half eaten popcorn bowl later they went from the living room back to the bedroom. The TV getting kicked off as if it were just a last minute thought, in reality it was, leaving the popcorn bowl on the coffee table with some of it spilled on the floor after getting kicked by a heel; whose they weren't sure, not with the way the room had been spinning the way it was through the heat of the moment.

Who started it?

Who cared?

It was a matter of finding the brakes again, if they could. The door had been left open in their haste to get into their sanctuary, once more neither caring since nobody was home and hopefully it would stay that way for an hour or two more.

Hands roamed, fingers got tangled in hair and the heat rising from their skin could have burnt someone if anyone else touched them at that moment. At one minute it was fast and hasty, another minute and it slowed to more passionate and savoring; like they couldn't find which gear to keep driving in.

Suddenly the brakes were slammed on, Kai's hands having been working their way up Ray's chest until they settled on his breast bone and shoved him back gently. Lips were swollen, the two panting hard as if they had just ran three laps around the schools track again.

Before it all could crumble, before Ray could get a word in, Kai's hands went down to his own shirt and slipped it off over his head. Tossing it off to the side, not breaking the eye contact he held with Ray until the hazed golden eyes began their travels.

Ray's breath, not that he had much to begin with, got caught in his chest as he took it all in. Having seen it once at a distance before, it hitting him hard if not harder now that the situation was completely different.

Across the pale, toned, chest and stomach were different sizes of scars and a few darker splotches that stuck out; burn marks or something similar. There were more faded ones that crossed over into ones that looked less than a year or two old, from Brooklyn. Kai had said he had lost track of which ones came from where but studying them as hard as he was, it was easy for Ray to determine where they each came from.

He had never touched them before, aside from the other night and even then he had barely touched them. Had never really seen them up close like this, whereas Kai was constantly looking at his. It was Kai's hands that had scoured every inch of his body at Oliver's, going places where they shouldn't have gone until at least half a year into the relationship, much less not being in one at the time. Ray had never stopped him, had never and would never complain though. His body had burned for him, just as it was now.

To make it fair Ray reached around himself, peeling off his own shirt and throwing it off to the side like Kai had done. His own broad chest and toned stomach littered with remnants and the ugly reminder of what he had lived through. His back would always be the worst, where it was Kai's chest and stomach that was the worst.

Suddenly it was like time had come to a standstill, gold and crimson flicking everywhere against the other. Watching as the other's chest and shoulders fell and rose with more even breaths, as they finally regained the air into their lungs that they had stolen from the other.

Attentively and slowly Ray's hand inched up until his fingertips hovered just a breath away from the longest scar that crossed over Kai's chest, where it ran from the collarbone to the bottom curve of his right breast. Kai had never said what they came from, Ray never dared to ask because truly he didn't want to know.

As Kai made no move to stop him this time Ray finally pressed his fingers to the scar, where it began and traced it down to where it ended. Kai forced himself not to shudder, not to push him away this time. Time slowed again as he stepped closer, pinning Ray's arm between them as his two came to settle around Ray's back. His pale fingers tracing over the scars there, the same ones that had always haunted his dreams since the first night he had seen them; when this mess had begun.

Ray's head tilted, being pressed so close to Kai's chest with just his arm keeping them parted he snaked it around the back of his neck and pulled him back down into a kiss. Going back to slow as the room spun. His free hand moved next, going back to being careful for fear of Kai pushing him off and touched at his sides where his fingers brushed more faded scars where his skin was risen slightly where they had healed. Feeling more like they had been stitched compared to the others.

A noise, one so small and subtle it would have been missed if it wasn't for how close they were, or the fact that they could feel it vibrate each other's chests, passed between the two. The slow went back to fast and hard, Kai's hold on Ray's back slipping down to his hips where he pulled him against his own and then the subtle pull as he stepped back towards the bed. Intent on dragging Ray towards it.

Ray stepped with him, his heart trying to break free from within him as he realized where he was being pulled to. Still he didn't pull away, put down the brakes or put up a fight. Following the tug and gentle pulls until they were separated, only because Kai sat down on the edge of the bed in front of him the second the backs of his legs had touched it.

Ray tried to breathe, reminding himself not to just throw himself on top of him like his body was begging him to. He had to let Kai control because he didn't really know how this worked, google had only really told him so much.

He was brought out of his jumbled thoughts as Kai's hands came back to his hips, pulling him between his legs and then the fog in Ray's head became worse, like static on a TV screen, as Kai's lips touched the scars on his stomach and around his hips.

It felt perfect, because it was, and like all things that were too perfect it had to be broken by the slam of a car door outside. Ray jerked out of Kai's hold so fast it almost brought him to the ground, and before he could blink Ray was in the bathroom and the shower was kicked on.

Kai got up from his bed slowly just as he could hear his parents outside his window talking, coming back from what he could assume was a nice date and he was happy for them but also burning them alive in his head. He snatched up his shirt and tugged it back on, finding a random book to sit with on his bed as he tossed Ray's forgotten shirt in the closest before settling down on his bed and crossed his legs together as the front door opened.

Within minutes Natasha and Micah made their way down the hall, Natasha letting Micah walk to their room without her as she stopped in his doorway.

"How was your night?" She asked, almost with a knowing look on her face.

"Was good." Kai answered in a neutral tone, glancing over the rim of his book and the random page he had opened it up to.

"Well, make sure you clean up that popcorn in the living room. Oh, and here." She said and then pulled her purse around herself, rummaging through it and fished out a small brown paper bag.

Without warning she tossed it across the room at him where he caught it, letting his book fall over his lap, and peaked inside it with a raised brow until his face turned a deadly shade of red and his heart slammed inside him.

"For next time, yeah?" She winked at him.

"MA!" He fumbled in embarrassment, closing the bag up and scrunching the top of it closed.

Natasha laughed at him, waving as she slipped back down the hall. "Headphones Kai!" She called back to him, only to cause his entire body to stiffen suddenly and the blush on his face to spread through his body; at least one of them was going to get it tonight…

"Headphones?" Ray asked once he stepped into the room, drying his hair out as he had to dress back in his jeans since he had left his shirt in there on the floor.

Kai jumped, coming out of his stiffened state and nodded. The grip on the bag Natasha had tossed him getting tighter, suddenly unsure what to do with it now.

"What's that?" Ray asked, noticing the way Kai was strangling it.

"Nothing." He answered quickly, hiding it behind his back like a child trying to hide candy they snatched from the shelf.

Ray just arched a brow, going to the dresser to get his clothes so he could sleep. As he left the room Kai bounded off the bed, going to the closest and stuffing the bag at the top shelf, hiding it behind whatever was there until he knew it was hidden and secured. Quickly getting his iPod and stuffing his earbuds into his ears as he settled down on the bed, leaving room for Ray when he returned. Throwing his volume up as high as it could go.

When Ray came back, having to cross through the hall, his ears perked a little and his face flushed. That's what the headphones were meant for apparently.

He dashed in, throwing the door closed behind him and grabbed his phone and headphones. Trying to race against time to find something as he settled in the bed next to Kai, getting the volume as high as it could reach just in time.


	33. Where the Pieces Fall

**Sad news guys, this is the second to last chapter.**

 **With that said, I can not express how much ya'll have meant to me through this. All of your love for this, there are real no words that can describe how it all made me feel. Just know, that from the bottom of my heart, I love all of you. From those I personally know, to the newcomers and guests, and to those I never heard from but saw reading this. Thank you, thank you so much.**

 **Our last update will be on Friday, making way for the sequel that I had mentioned some odd chapters ago. There is no set timeline for when that will be posted, as I'm still ironing out issues with it and have to finish one of my other two stories that have been terribly neglected these past four months.**

 **Once again I must thank Julia for helping at the end here, really meant a lot to me to have the help and hope ya'll enjoy this chapter!**

 **Will see you guys on Friday for the end!**

* * *

Ch 33- Where the Pieces Fall. Monday, December 24th.

News of the father of Mariah's baby spread like wildfire the moment the two of them had come back from Thanksgiving break, her parents pulling her out of school once the truth had finally broke free; if only Ray had been so lucky to have had that.

The death threats and notes stopped almost instantly, everyone who had been on Mariah's side were now nowhere to be seen. Johnny had been put on the back burner but really nobody cared, and like Ray had said he was getting ready to high tail it across the country to get out of being a father to his child.

Lee had tried to make amends somewhere within the first week back to school, Ray wasn't having any of it and since then they avoided each other for the rest of the month to the best of their abilities. At track practice they didn't speak, much less look at one another. Ray was too busy trying to out beat everyone, trying to put up a good enough show for Kai since he always came to watch him.

It had been seven weeks now since they had gotten together, seven weeks of ups and downs and good times and bad times; most of the good outweighing the bad. Ray had said he wasn't a picnic to live with and he was right. Being sleep deprived half the time wasn't helping either of them, caffeine was more than likely now his blood type since he lived off coffee and energy drinks. His smoking habit had died down with his last pack, bumming what he could off coworkers and Rick when he got the chance and that in turn made him more irritable.

Through the first hearing against Brooklyn, on December fifth, was when he had finally mellowed out. The evidence was too great for even Brooklyn's father to get him out of jail and he was sentenced to five years for attempted murder and carrying a gun while on parole. Ray didn't want to pull up his and Kai's past, though knowing if he did it would put Brooklyn behind bars for much longer but couldn't pull Kai into that again when he still had another hearing against Voltaire.

That night, when Ray had come home from the long drawn out court hearing against Brooklyn, Kai had taken him up in his arms having declined in going and Ray didn't push him to go either. Properly thanking him for what he had done, pushing the limit of their relationship and crossing a line neither could come back from. Ray didn't put up a fight, needing and wanting it just as much and nobody in the house was the wiser. It wasn't much of a leap but it made it harder for the two to keep their hands off each other after that, things were getting better and hotter between the two as the month of December carried on without a care in the world.

The following two weeks the boys were thrown into exams and in between, in the middle of the week on December eighteenth, Ray was going to be thrown into his first hearing against Stan. Though as the date kept approaching and his nerves were snapping again, he had received a call that it was being pushed back again for sometime during the Christmas break, the weight of it only lifted before it fell on his shoulders again and harder than before.

With the sleepless nights, the run to and from school and track practice to work and home were breaking him more. Kai had tried, told him to drop either track or work because he could see it breaking him but Ray refused. He knew he could do it, he just needed to get in the rhythm of it again and once exams were done he felt like he could breathe a bit easier until he was reminded of the court hearing only a few days away. The break that he had been looking forward to was now just another black hole to him, the idea of it being his and Kai's first Christmas together not even a first thought in his head and leaving him scrambling for a gift to get him almost last minute.

The first two days of break, being Saturday and Sunday, it went by so fast the two hadn't even realized they were on break until it was Christmas eve. Although Ray had tried to get out of work for Christmas he had been called in Sunday night to do a double shift and being considered 'new' he couldn't decline. He'd have to miss his and Kai's first Christmas altogether.

It wasn't what either wanted, nor was it really considered tradition, but as Ray woke up for his shift on Christmas eve he pulled the small box that contained Kai's present from within the closet. Sitting back down on the bed beside him as Kai was slowly coming to.

"Morning." Ray smiled at him as he watched Kai's eyes trying to adjust to the soft light seeping above him from his window and through the blinds and curtains.

"Mornin'." Kai yawned, sitting up more and pushed the heel of his palms to his eyes for a second to get them more adjusted.

Ray waited patiently for him, the small wrapped box slightly held out between them, as he frowned a little. Kai's eyes had been starting to bother him recently, neither sure what was wrong with them but he complained of headaches more often and when he was either studying or reading his nose was close enough to the papers that if he sneezed he'd headbutt it.

"You should probably get your eyes checked out soon." Ray offered in a quiet voice.

Kai nodded, not liking the idea that much but Ray was right. To him things were getting harder to see, anything within four feet of him was getting blurry and he could hardly see his own face in the mirror now.

"After break." He sighed, letting his hands fall back down on his lap that was covered by his sheets and then glanced at Ray's outstretched hand.

"What's this?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Your present." Ray smirked a little, getting butterflies in his stomach.

Kai smirked back, though it was more of a smug grin than anything. "I thought you gave me my present last night?" He said in a slight teasing tone.

Ray's face flushed, the memory hitting him hard quickly until he shoved it down. "Well, this is your other present." He jerked his hand out, pushing the corner of the box against Kai's bare chest as he fought down the maddening blush from spreading across his face.

Kai took it, his brow raising higher to his hairline as he slowly began to tear into the silver and blue paper. Ray started to nibble on his lower lip, if Kai didn't hurry up he was going to be late for work…

"Will you just open it already?" He asked in a huff.

Kai glanced up at him quickly, the sound of the paper tearing the only thing between them as he tore it off slower just to tease him. His smirk coming back, almost reaching the corner of his cheeks.

Ray rolled his eyes at him, deciding to zip it and put his arms over his chest as he watched Kai peel back another strip of paper until he was able to shake the box out into the palm of his hand. Like with anything recently Kai held it so close to his nose it almost touched, inspecting the black box for a second before he carefully pulled off the lid. Ray quietly sucked in some air, not sure which emotion he wanted to settle on at the moment as Kai dropped the lid and pulled out a simple, thin, gold chain.

Kai dropped the bottom of the box, using both hands to cradle the chain carefully, as if he was afraid he'd snap it in half already, while he held it close to inspect it over quietly. The wait for him to actually say something about it, show some type of other emotion about it, was getting to Ray and his left leg was starting to twitch as the heel of his foot was tapping the floor.

"Is it too much? Too soon? I… I mean I didn't really know what else to get you, or if you even like things like that. I can always take it back, you know? Get you something else…" He started to ramble off quickly and quietly.

Kai glanced back up at him through his bangs, taking the chain in one hand while he silently reached out with his other to cup the back of Ray's neck and dragged him closer till their lips touched. Ray melted into it instantly, never getting tired of how gentle and sweet Kai could kiss him like that so unexpectedly. No matter how short, how brief and gentle the touch, it left his lips tingling and his breath nowhere to be found when they parted.

The worry that had been in his golden eyes were now gone, replaced with a haze of adoration as his heart fluttered in his chest.

"Never mind." He said off handedly in a dreamy sigh.

Kai chuckled quietly at him as he pulled away from him, Ray needed to go to work and if he didn't Ray wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time.

"Yours is in the bottom drawer of the dresser." Kai said, going back to inspecting the chain in his hands.

Ray arched a brow and looked between Kai and the dresser before he pushed himself off the bed and went to it, pulling open the bottom drawer and rummaged inside it for a minute before he pulled out a rectangular box the size of his hand in red wrapping paper.

"I thought you gave me my present last night?" Ray teased, eyeing the box in his hands for a minute before he sat back down beside Kai on the edge of the bed.

Kai gave him another smug grin, brushing back the strands of hair that framed Ray's face and tucked it behind his ear. "I mean, if you don't want it."

Ray pulled the box away from Kai as he had tried to reach for it, "Don't you dare."

"Then open it." Kai chuckled, pulling back from him again before he really did make Ray late for work.

Ray chuckled back, tearing into the paper quicker than Kai had done and opened the top of the white box and glanced inside it. His breath hitching in his throat for a minute before he turned it over and let the red glass egg fall in the palm of his hand, golden eyes going over it quickly and taking in the heaviness of it and the diamonds encrusted around it from the top to the bottom in what looked like it had been covered in gold netting, that created diamond shapes around the entire thing. At the bottom of the box was the gold stand it would sit in, while in the center of it ran the lip and bottom where it could be pulled open in half.

"It's beautiful." Ray breathed, eyes transfixed on it in his hand.

"It's a Fabergé egg." Kai explained, his smug grin turning into one of fondness as he watched Ray inspecting it carefully like he had done his gift.

Ray popped it open, revealing a soft velvet inside. "Here." He held his hand out and Kai handed him the gold chain, watching Ray tuck it in the egg carefully before he closed it and pulled out the stand. Setting it all down on top of the side table beside their bed.

"That works." Kai snorted, looking slightly amused.

"Speaking of, I have to go." Ray chuckled, quickly leaning back towards Kai where he met him in the middle for a quick kiss goodbye.

"Be careful."

"I will, love you." Ray gave him one last kiss, practically forcing himself away from him.

"Love you too." Kai called after him as Ray was already up and leaving.

At the familiar boom of Ray's truck starting up outside Kai finally laid back down, putting an arm over his tired crimson eyes as he shifted slightly under his still warm sheets. It would only be a matter of time before Tala came barging into his room to properly get him up for the day, what he was going to do he wasn't sure.

In the quiet and alone time he let his mind wander over the past three months, not even realizing that's how short it had been since he had moved into the new house, next to Ray, and had gone through all that he had. It felt like a year had gone by since everything had started, down from moving into the house to starting school. Thinking back on it he hadn't pictured this was where his life would be right now, that he would actually feel this happy and content after so long. There would always be the reminder of his past, etched in his skin and his memories.

As he fell further back, walking down memory lane, his heart stung. Memories of Andrew hitting him hard, something he had been pushing to the back of his mind since learning what had happened to him. Tears were in his eyes before he had a chance to stop them, a small shuddering gasp finally broke free from his lips as he laid there on his bed alone. He had been trying to fight it, keep the weight off his shoulders so it wouldn't slip and fall onto Ray's or his family's. He wasn't made of steel, as much as he played it off that he was, he was just a boy and could only take so much.

In three weeks he'd have to face Voltaire again, with the small hope that what Ray had gotten actually could work in his favor for once. Through most of his life he never believed in something like God or fate and destiny, he was never given a reason to, but somehow this seemed right. If it wasn't for Andrew's death he wouldn't be with Tala and his family, wouldn't have met the boy next door; and who knows what would have happened to him at this point in time if Kai hadn't been around.

Maybe, despite the pain and tears, this was right. Where he was meant to be for once, not just for himself but those around him.

The knock on his door brought him crashing back to reality, quickly wiping the fallen tears from his face as he sat up and tried to make out who was coming through his bedroom door. Tala smiled at him, he couldn't see it that well, looking excited and put together for a day out; no doubt last minute Christmas shopping.

"Get dressed, we're going shopping!"

Kai groaned, rolling his eyes at him. "Do I really have to?"

"Yes!" Tala shot back, hands going to his hips. "We have to get something for mom and dad."

"I already did." Kai smirked at him.

"When?! That's _our_ thing!"

Kai shrugged at him, "You haven't been home often, Ray and I went last weekend."

Tala pouted at him in a huff, "Well too bad, you're still coming with me." He clapped his hands like an angry mother, trying to get his brother moving.

Kai rolled his eyes and locked eyes with him, "Mind getting out first?"

Tala gave him a questioning look before he really took him in, the sheets were around his waist and he was shirtless. There was a hickey or two on his chest, and before he could stop it Tala's wolfish-grin took the width of his mouth.

"Ooooooo. I'm gonna tell." He wiggled his brows at him.

Kai's face turned red instantly, "D- Don't you dare!" He spat out in a stutter.

Tala continued to wiggle his brows as he started to laugh at him, backing out of the room and shutting the door. "Better hurry up then Skittles!" He called through.

Kai ran a hand down his flustered face, pulling back the sheets and threw his legs over the edge of his bed. Quickly going to the door and locking it before Tala had the chance to open it again, going back to his bed to pull out his boxers from under the sheets that had been left at his feet the entire night. He tossed them in the basket inside the closet, going to his dresser for another pair and pulled out an outfit for the day.

Dressed and his hair brushed he met Tala in the living room who was happily texting away on his phone, his grin still the width of his mouth. Kai frowned as he stepped up to him, his stomach twisting in knots at all the possibilities of who Tala was texting and what he was saying to them.

"We going or not?" He asked.

"Yeah." Tala said, his fingers still dancing over his screen as he was leant up against the back of the couch. "Just one sec."

Kai huffed and waited for him, another three minutes passed before Tala put his phone down and into his back pocket.

"Must have been some night." He winked at him, just to rile him up.

"Nothing happened!" Kai shot back, though the blush on his face said otherwise.

"You should know better than to lie to your older brother." Tala said with a smirk, "I wasn't born yesterday Skittles."

"We are _not_ talking about this the entire day." Kai stated, giving Tala a pointed stare.

"Oh heavens no." Tala waved at his words, "Can just tell me in the car on the drive to the mall."

Kai choked on his spit and shook his head, "I'm not telling you shit, nothing happened!" He repeated, getting more flustered and riled up.

Tala tutted, wagging his finger at him. "Your nose is gonna grow if you keep lying." He said smoothly, trying hard not to laugh at him.

"And you're going to get my foot up your ass if you don't knock it off." Kai grumbled at him, pulling his arms around his chest and looking away from him at the TV to his right.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Natasha scolded as she made her way from down the hall, dressed in her bathrobe and giving both her sons a pointed icy stare.

"It is way too early for you two to be going on like this, Tala leave your brother alone. What he and Ray do, or don't do, is none of your business." She reprimanded quickly.

Kai's blood ran cold for a second, "Nothing happened!" Was all his brain could think of to spit out of his mouth now.

"Honey…" Natasha gave him knowing look, "It's really fine, either way."

Kai wanted the world to end right there, they weren't even that loud. So how the hell did they all suddenly know what happened?!

"Just make sure you're using what I bought you, okay?" Natasha said with a more motherly tone.

"We didn't even go that far!" Kai spat out next, his face redder than Natasha and Tala's hair.

"I don't want to know!" Natasha was quick to cover her ears, while Tala was covering his mouth to stop the laughter from breaking through.

Kai held his breath, palming his face with the urge to run back into his room and not come back out for the rest of his life. Tala continued to snicker behind his hand until his fit died down, clearing his throat a little so he could speak again.

"Well let's go then Skittles, don't have all day." He said, pulling his back away from the couch.

"You two be careful." Natasha said, pulling her hands down from her ears and turned on her heel to go back to her room.

Tala and Kai waved at her, their feet taking them towards the door only to pause when Micah had come barreling down the hall with Natasha's cell phone in his hand.

"Wait!" He called, forcing the two boys to stop with the door slightly opened.

"What's the matter?" Natasha asked, looking at the phone in her husband's hand and then his face.

Micah held the phone out, motioning for his sons to step back into the house. Tala and Kai exchanged looks, Tala closing the door and stepping back towards their parents as Natasha put the phone to her ear and was promptly talking to the other person on the other side. Her mouth hung up slightly, going silent suddenly and her blue eyes nervously shot to Kai for a second before she turned her back to him.

Kai's heart plummeted to his toes, shifting slightly as his nerves kicked up. Thousands of questions running through his head, his first thought went to Ray. Something happened to him, something bad…

"Ma?" His broken voice choked out.

"Thank you." Was all Natasha said as she hit the end call button on her phone, turning back around with a grave look on her face.

Immediately Tala put a hand down on Kai's shoulder, his first thoughts had also gone to Ray and he didn't like that look on his mother's face.

"There's been an accident…" Natasha tried to clear her throat some, it closing up on her suddenly as she saw the fear in both her boys eyes.

Kai could only shake his head, his heart beating faster in his chest suddenly. Ray hadn't been gone that long; how could he have already gotten in an accident? Tala's grip on Kai's shoulder got tighter, feeling him shaking beside him.

"It's not Ray." Natasha quickly said, her brain still trying to process it all herself and hadn't thought of to say that first thing.

Tala and Kai exhaled heavily in unison, though that didn't stop his heart still racing in his chest.

"Who?" Tala asked, figuring he had the stronger voice at that moment between him and his brother.

"Stan, Ray's uncle, he was… He was killed last night, in a fight…" Natasha said in a low voice.

"You're kidding?" Tala asked, the mirror of his mother's eyes widening.

Natasha slowly shook her head, "They tried to call Ray but his phone must be off right now, being at work, but he doesn't need to know right now."

Kai and Tala both nodded, it wouldn't be good to tell him while he had to get through the day at work. How he was going to handle it once he learned was another question flicking through Kai's head. If he had been told Voltaire was killed he'd jump for joy, throw a week long party and dance on the old man's grave. Ray wasn't him though, in a way Kai knew Ray still loved his uncle to some extent.

"We'll tell him when he gets home, but for now you two just be careful. Okay?" Natasha said, making her voice stronger.

"We will." Tala said, once again feeling like Kai wouldn't be able to speak properly just yet and guided Kai back around towards the door.

Micah and Natasha watched them leave quietly until the front door closed behind them, the two turning to each other with the same questions flitting through their heads.

"How do we tell him?"

Natasha shrugged, "I don't know… What do we do now though, what if the state takes him from us?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"We won't let them; he's not going anywhere." Micah reassured as he brought his trembling wife into his arms and held her.

"They're not going to take our boy, I promise." He soothed, running his hands through her long flaming red locks that were still knotted from sleep.

Natasha nodded against his shoulder, holding him tightly. The thought of losing either of her boys was always something she feared, one day she could wake up and they were gone and there was nothing she could do to stop it. If she could she'd take in all the children who needed homes, love them unconditionally like they were her own.

Tala had been a blessing in of itself, but after him she was unable to have more and that had propelled her to become a foster parent. Even if it filled the hole in her heart it also tore it open even more, always saying goodbye to one boy or girl after the next. How she had been so lucky to hold onto Kai for as long as she had she would never know, would never dare question it either.

* * *

In the silence of the car Tala guided it to a parking spot as close to the doors he could, Kai finally opening his eyes and clocking where they were suddenly.

"This isn't the mall." He said dryly as he read the giant white sign, his heart rate picking up again, subtly looking around the lot for Ray's truck.

"I know, but there's somethings I wanted to get here too." Tala said as he put the car in park, cutting the engine quickly before stepping out.

Kai followed after him, the doors closing behind them and met his brother around the back of the car where Tala promptly started towards the front doors. Kai's eyes were darting left and right, maybe he'd be able to see Ray for a minute or two. He wasn't going to tell him, but if he had been on break and checked his phone Kai wanted to be there if he had.

Off to the side, where the carts were being pushed into their garage, Ray stood talking with one of his coworkers, another teenage boy a year older than him who he bummed his cigarettes off of in exchange for lunch. The two seemed in their own world, trying to suck up the ten minute break for as long as they could before they had to go back in and continue stocking the shelves for the Christmas rush that was going on. The smoke from both of their cigarettes being carried away by the harsh breeze, the two standing so close their shoulders were almost touching trying to stay warm.

Kai saw him, the concern being washed away with anger as he saw the cigarette dangling between Ray's fingers. His feet turned him, intent on going and snatching it out of his mouth and then pushing the other boy away from him.

Tala saw the shift, also having seen Ray the closer they got to the doors and grabbed his brother by the shoulder and jerked him back on their intended path.

"Let him have it, God knows he needs it right now." Tala said in a quiet voice, glancing at the other boy beside Ray and how close they were. "Don't worry about that either, it's cold out."

Kai huffed; Tala was right. He nodded and his feet turned back to carrying him inside the warmth of the store, being greeted by an elderly woman that Kai only knew from the stories Ray would come home and tell about her; apparently they didn't get along.

Tala had grabbed a cart, Kai following him around aimlessly for almost thirty minutes now; the cart still empty even though they had wandered down almost every aisle and had stopped at the jewelry case for another ten.

"What was it you wanted to get from here?" Kai asked, glancing at his brother as he was now standing in front of the kitchen appliances that consisted of coffee makers and toasters.

"Mom always wanted one of these, just trying to figure out which one would be better and what color." Tala said, motioning to the single cup coffee makers on the shelf that were eye level with him.

"Just get the red one." Kai said, not really into this whole thing at the moment.

Tala nodded, but then frowned. "Just because her hair is red doesn't mean she likes the color, and it won't fit with the rest of the colors in the kitchen."

It was Kai's turn to frown, "Then get the black."

Tala moved the two boxes that were in his way, looking for a black one as his frown deepened. "They only have red… Best go find that boyfriend of yours and see if they got any in the back." He said, pivoting on his heels and started on his quest to find Ray.

After another ten minutes of wandering through the store they finally found Ray, stocking the shelves in the outdoor department. Standing on a step ladder and balancing a box on his right arm while digging out what he needed with the other and setting the boxes of outdoor lights on the top shelf.

"You're going to fall." Tala said coolly, coming to stand just under him on the other side of the box incase Ray dropped it.

Ray faltered for a second, almost dropping the box and falling off the stool. "Oh, hey." He gave them both a wry grin, "What're you two doing here?"

"Was looking for a coffee maker for mom, but you don't have black on the shelves. Would you be able to check the back for us?" Tala was quick to tell him, not wanting to get him in trouble if he wasn't working.

"Give me a minute and I'll check." Ray said, going back to pulling out the rest of the lights and letting the box they came from fall to the ground as he shuffled the boxes on the shelf around until he was pleased with how they looked.

He climbed down from his perch, folding it up and then grabbed the box off the ground and took the two with him as he guided the other two back out into the main body of the store. Near the back where he disappeared through the two black swinging doors. Within five minutes he came back out, holding the coffee maker Tala had wanted in black and held it out to him.

"Lucky the truck just left, otherwise we wouldn't have this until next Thursday." Ray chuckled as Tala took it from him.

"Thanks Twizz." Tala smiled at him and set it down, "I'm gonna go see if I can get some coffee to go with this." With that he took the cart, leaving the other two standing beside each other in the middle of the photo center.

The moment he was gone Ray turned to him, the smile he had been wearing vanishing quickly.

"Did you tell him what happened last night?" He asked in a low whisper.

Kai arched a brow, his heart stopping for a second. "No!" Kai defended quickly.

"Well he seems to know, I had like ten texts from him the second I got to work." Ray explained, piecing the puzzle together on who Tala had been texting before they left.

"I didn't tell him… He just came into the room after you left, I hadn't gotten up from bed…" Kai explained quietly, adverting his gaze from him.

"Oh…" Ray chuckled slightly, "Sorry, I just… I thought." He stopped short, feeling guilty all of a sudden. He should have known better than to think Kai would tell someone.

"It's alright… How… How are you doing?" Kai asked as he shifted on his feet. He wasn't going to tell him, Ray didn't need that burden while working, but he had to make sure he didn't know either.

Ray shrugged at him, "I'm alright, only been here less than two hours and my feet are killing me. But I'm good. I'll let you get back to your shopping though, see you tonight." He waved at him and before Kai could respond Ray was already walking back towards the black swinging doors and was gone.

Kai caught up with his brother near the registers, the two falling in a long line that took them almost another hour to get through. Tala buying Ray another pack of cigarettes, ignoring Kai's pointed stare the entire time.

"Do you want to give them to him or me?" Tala asked once they had gathered their bags into the car and settled in the front seats.

"I don't want him to have them at all." Kai grumbled.

Tala shook his head with a sigh, "I know you don't, and I understand why. But c'mon, he was a real pain to live with without them and after he gets home he's going to need this." Tala said, holding the white and red box between them.

Kai huffed but refused to take them, Tala could be the hero this time.

Tala rolled his eyes at his brother, sticking the pack in his own pocket for the time being and pulled them out of the Walmart parking lot in silence. After a trip to the mall and another three hours out, half of it just the two window shopping, they climbed back into the car and headed home with a new hard drive for Micah's computer and a gold rose necklace for Natasha.

"Alright, I'll give them to him." Kai said as he held his hand out, having been in a mental debate over it the entire time they were out.

Tala looked at his hand and then back to the light they were stuck at, smirking as he dug the pack out and slapped it into Kai's hand.

"Just give him some time, you can't expect him to get over this that quickly." Tala reminded in a gentler tone, "You remember how bad it was for me."

Kai snorted and nodded, "You were hell to live with, more so than you are."

"Shit, I wasn't that bad." Tala chuckled back, "Not as bad as Ray was, and he went like two days without them before he blew up."

Kai nodded again as his face paled, that week was hell. He had never seen Ray explode the way he had, of course during most of it Kai caught him talking to himself a lot more and when questioned about it he was set off again, and Kai ended up just backing off from him before they said something either would regret until he mellowed out. If anything, the makeup session was worth the brief trip to hell.

Close to six now the two finally got home, taking in their gifts in secretly so neither Natasha or Micah would see them and stuffed the bags under Tala's bed in his room. Ray wouldn't be home till ten, leaving Kai four hours to prepare what was going to be said and how he was going to be there through it for him.

Like he always did since Ray started the later shifts he sat on the front porch, the pack of cigarettes Tala had bought hidden in his pocket for him, as the roar of Ray's truck began to fill the silence of the night.

Kai held his breath as Ray pulled into the abandoned drive of his old home, there was nowhere for him to park and since it still technically was his home he could do what he wanted. As far as Kai knew, Ray hadn't set foot in the house since he had been sick.

Slowly he stood up as the roar died down, along with the music that was blaring through the slightly cracked window until it rolled up and Ray jumped out like a cat, landing on his feet perfectly, and smiled once he saw Kai standing there in the front yard waiting for him. The driver door slammed and Kai exhaled the breath he had been holding in, shifting where he stood as Ray approached him. If he was tired, Kai couldn't tell. He never could right away when Ray came home since it always looked like Ray was just happy to be home, happy to be with him.

He didn't want to have to do this, Natasha and Micah offered but he said he would. He had to.

As Ray reached him Kai held his arms out for him silently, getting a questioning look till Ray happily threw himself into his chest. Putting his arms around Kai's back, almost getting the life squeezed out of him.

"I'm home." Ray said, instantly relaxing. It had been a long day and he was beyond exhausted.

Kai loosened his grip on him, his hands going to Ray's arms where he still held him. He didn't know if Ray would turn and run, lash out, or what. It was more of a gesture to show him that he was there, would always be there.

"How was your day?" He asked, trying to ease them in slow with what he needed to tell him.

"It was crap. Seeing you was a huge highlight though." Looking into Kai's eyes he saw something but couldn't pinpoint what it was. "I'm gonna go get a shower, I smell like people I hate."

Kai chuckled a little, "Sit with me for a minute first." It wasn't a question, even if it sounded like one, and he was already tugging Ray towards the steps of the front porch.

"Um, seriously I need one, I stink. Can't this wait?" He could see it was futile, so he just let Kai tug him along and sit him down on the cold wood beside him on the top step.

Kai shook his head, yeah he smelt like people, sweat, and smoke. Reminding him of it he reached in his pocket and pulled out the pack, dangling it in front of his face like he had done last time.

"Your other Christmas present." He said, trying to sound happy about it but Ray could hear the distaste in his tone.

"Uh, thanks?" Ray said as he took it, sticking into his own pockets for later.

Under different circumstances he would have been overjoyed, but that look in Kai's eyes were unnerving him but now Kai had gone silent. Giving him a look he wondered what had gotten into him suddenly, gave him another minute to talk before he got up.

"Thanks' babe, I'm gonna go shower now." With that he headed toward the door, this was a weird ending to the day.

"Stan is dead." Kai blurt out, quickly standing and froze at the top of the porch.

He should have known better, if Ray was on the move for something he wanted it would take a two hundred pound weight to keep him still.

Ray stopped, his frame stiffening at the news. His uncle was what?! In his gut there was a fire brewing. Stan got the _easy_ way out? Amidst the anger there was something else, something that tightened the pit of his stomach more than he wanted to admit, much less want there at all.

"You're joking." He guessed his anger had slipped through because Kai's eyebrows slightly rose before resting again.

Kai shook his head, stepping closer to him almost cautiously. "Got the call this morning, after you left. There was a fight, he got stabbed." He explained in a low quiet voice, not sure how to take the angry look in Ray's eyes.

"I need a shower." With that Ray went inside and he dared Kai to grab him again.

Stan should be rotting, festering in a concreate block, not in a bed, in a hole six feet deep, sleeping! This wasn't fair, out of all the bullshit life had handed him, _this_ was the worst so far.

He furiously stripped and got in, letting the water sear his skin. How dare he not get the closure he deserved. His forehead touched the warming tiles of the shower in front of him, the water rushing down his back and hair. The tightness in his gut that he had been fighting back got worse, his shoulders began to shake without him wanting them to.

No, he didn't want to cry over it. The harder he fought back the tears the harder they pushed through, the anger only reaching another level as he felt the first few roll down and blend with the water from the shower on his cheeks.

"Fuck..." He muttered in a shaky breath, quickly wiping them away with the back of his hand and caught sight of the scars that were left over.

He stood upright, his back rigid again as he threw the hand into the tiles in front of him. At the connection there was a pain that shot up his arm to his shoulder, the tile barely chipped and the anger hadn't subsided like he wanted it to. Beating up the shower wasn't something he should do but he needed a release, before he could lash out at the tile again his legs crumbled under him and he dropped to the bottom of the shower. Pulling his knees to his chest as he cried out terrible sobs.

Kai had come into the house, giving him the space and was sat on the bed waiting for him. Crimson eyes trained on the door as his heart somersaulted in his chest, he still wasn't sure what to expect once Ray got back. What he could say to make it better or just to comfort him. He wasn't particularly good at words of comfort, but he had to try.

"God damnit, you asshole." Ray sobbed, "Why am I crying for you? Why?" It couldn't be because they were family. Hell no, _family_ didn't do the things he did.

Yet there was a pain in his heart, one that he hated with everything. The worst was over, he'd never see that worthless excuse of a man again, but that thought left an emptiness in him he felt to his soul.

He tried to reason with himself, muttering quietly, that it wasn't always that bad. That somewhere deep, somewhere almost long and forgotten, that his uncle had still loved him amidst the abuse and torture. Shaking his head he rid himself of those thoughts quickly, cursing under his breath every name and word he could think of through the mess in his head.

There was no love, whatever there may have been was long gone. So far out of his reach that he never thought he'd cry about it, Stan didn't deserve the tears but they continued to pour down his face anyways.

He stood up after a bit on wobbly legs, similar to that fish girl from that Disney movie Mariah had made them sit through as kids. He washed his hair, unaware of how much time had passed. Only one thing was running through his mind; his uncle Stan was dead, really dead.

He sat back down once his hair was washed, the cold water chilling him now as more tears streamed down his face. More muttered words passing his trembling lips, his arms holding his bare legs to his chest tighter as the water turned to ice.

Kai waited a bit longer before he stood up and checked the hall, his parents' bedroom light was out and quietly he went to the bathroom door across from his room. Opening it quietly and stepped in, shutting it behind him where he was hit with the heat and steam surrounding the small space like he had just walked into a sauna with a chill to it.

What was more important were the quiet sobs he could hear coming from the other side of the curtain, freezing him just inside by the door. One fear he had was that Ray would hurt himself, even if it had been years since he had, but he hadn't expected to hear him crying over the bastard.

"Ray." He called quietly; feet glued to the floor.

They had seen each other now, but his plan was not to go in there to comfort him. They didn't need to get in trouble.

At his voice, Ray jerked up from the floor like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Kai, not now. Not here. Later." He said as loud as his squeaky, whispery voice would allow. "Go."

"You need to come out, it's been an hour." Kai said in that same quiet voice, his legs itching to go over and pull him out himself but refrained from doing so.

"I can't move." Ray heard himself say, having leant his side and head against the wall.

He didn't want to get out really but knew he had to but was unable to move now. Though he wasn't, he felt paralyzed.

Kai's feet moved him the second after he heard him, grabbing the towel off the rack and pulled the curtain open. His eyes stayed on Ray's the entire time, turning off the freezing water and getting sprayed with it for a moment before he wrapped the heavy towel around Ray's shaking form.

"C'mon, I got you." He coaxed, letting Ray grab him on the shoulders as he backed away for him to get his legs out.

Ray instantly fell into him the moment his feet tapped on the tile. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. I think I need to lay down."

"It's alright, let's get you dry first." Kai choked, this was almost like how he looked in the hospital and he hated it.

He worked quietly, rubbing the towel against Ray's wet skin until he was dried enough and wrapped the towel around his hips. Grabbing his towel he kept in there he went to Ray's hair, needing to get it dry enough so Ray didn't get sick. The moment he felt Ray was dry enough he gently guided him back to their room, letting him lay down on the bed, sitting himself beside him on the edge.

"You can cry you know, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Yes there is, someone like him doesn't deserve tears. I should be celebrating but that's the last thing I wanna do." Ray put his arm over his eyes. "Why am I crying like this, Kai? Tell me why I'm such a mess." He choked out, the tears still running down his face as his body shook through the broken sobs.

"Because he was family, regardless of what he's done to you." Kai said, trying to make his voice strong but felt the crack in his tone. "You're not a mess, this is normal."

"It shouldn't be… Not after-after everything that…" Ray continued to choke, trying to dry the tears just as quickly as they kept pouring out of him.

"What am I going to do?!" He cried, letting his arm fall down beside him.

Kai reached out, taking up Ray's right hand and rubbed the pad of his thumb over the top of it. "One day at a time."

Ray shook his head as another sob shook him, "I… I can't…"

"Can't what?" Kai rose a brow at him.

"I don't know…" Ray sighed, shifting slightly where he looked up to meet Kai's gaze and seeing them wet with his own unshed tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Kai said quickly, bringing Ray's hand up and kissing the top of it tenderly. "Just take your time."

"Ugh, fuck me!" Ray sat up and gave Kai's hand a gentle squeeze, "Thank you." He choked out as the worst seemed to be over.

Kai's heart leapt to his throat, blinking a few times. "Um... Literally?" He choked out dumbly, not even hearing the thank you.

"Some libidos get high during depression, not mine." He looked up at him, "Then I saw you." Ray kissed his cheek and laid his head on his shoulder with a heavy sigh. "Not right now."

Kai choked on his spit again, his face flushing and nodded quickly before he shot up off the bed, almost causing Ray to fall off the bed after him. Despite what they did the night before, it was too soon to go that _far_.

"Get yourself dressed." He said quickly, his feet carrying him stiffly out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Huh?" Ray blinked a few times, nearly hanging upside down as he watched the door close. "Okay then."

He got up and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. After dressing he opened the door with a playful grin.

"I'm all ready, your hotness."

"I'd rather you went back to sulking a bit more." Kai said playfully, peeling his back off the wall he had stood against by his door. Quickly taking in Ray standing in the doorway, "Those are my pants..." He smirked.

Ray folded his arms over his chest. "Yes, they are. Problem?"

Kai shook his head at him, stepping back into the room with him and kicking the door shut behind him. Running his fingers through the still damp bangs that hung around Ray's face and shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes dancing over his face as if he was physically hurt.

"I'm fine. What else is there to say... He's gone, left the easy way. And I'm here. I'm-" Ray looked at the floor, eyes welling up again. "Not again."

"It's okay." Kai rubbed the side of his head, behind his ear in the dark wet locks. "It's really alright."

"Okay." With that Ray threw himself into it. Maybe if he got it all out now it wouldn't happen anymore and he could move on.

Kai pulled him back into his chest, holding him as he cried into him. His own body shaking from how hard Ray's was against him, keeping his fingers in his hair through it all and running them through gently.

"Why did you leave here like this, you bastard!" He gripped Kai's shirt, his nails digging into the fistfuls of fabric.

Kai held his breath; there it was again, Ray talking to himself. Since it wasn't for him he kept his mouth shut, ignoring the nails that were piercing into his sides as he slowly rocked them a bit. He wasn't going to push him to get over it, wasn't going to tell him to keep it down for the sake of the rest of their family. If Ray wanted to scream about it he'd let him, if Ray wanted to push him away and go outside and smoke he wouldn't stop him this time.

Ray pulled away after about another minute. "If-" He started, trying to catch his breath. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna go outside. I need some air."

"Go ahead, I'm not going anywhere." Kai breathed in a sigh, letting Ray slip from his arms and watched him leave their room.

"Thanks." Ray said over his shoulder, going to the bathroom where he had left his pants.

Bending down he dug into the pockets where he had left them on the floor and pulled out the pack.

"Hallelujah." He went outside, each step becoming quieter than the one before until he made it outback.

Hearing the glass door open and close Kai released another breath of air, his feet moving him to the bathroom to get the dirty clothes Ray had left there and brought them into the room and tossed them in the basket inside the closet. Like he was on autopilot he grabbed the towels left on the bed, taking them back to the bathroom and hung them up.

When he came back into the room he wasn't sure what to do with himself suddenly, knowing Ray needed the space so going outside with him wasn't an option. Since it was nearing midnight he went to get himself ready for bed, ready for when Ray came back inside. The moment his head hit the pillow his eyes slipped closed and he passed out, not noticing that when Ray did come back inside it was already two in the morning.

* * *

Tuesday, December 25th.

With a start Kai woke up, blurry crimson eyes wide until they adjusted to the weight that was sitting on his waist and narrowed. Tala smirked down at him, looking like he was four-years-old.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Tala sung out at the top of his lungs, slightly bouncing on top of Kai's legs.

"Tala!" Kai scolded, trying to push him off. "Get the hell off!"

"Get up, get up! Santa came!" Tala laughed, bouncing harder.

Kai rolled his eyes, falling back on the bed as he groaned in frustration. "You're almost nineteen, there's no such thing as Santa."

Tala gasped, his bouncing stopping abruptly. "You take that back! There is too." He pouted at him.

Kai shook his head, closing his tired eyes until they snapped open again and his head jerked to the right only to find the bed empty beside him.

"He already left." Tala said, filling in the silent question he could see his brother trying to form.

"Is he okay?" Kai shot up again, looking panicked.

Ray normally woke him up before he had to leave.

Tala nodded a little, "He said he was." He said with a shrug, "Mom and dad talked to him before he left, told him he should have called off but he left anyways."

"The idiot…" Kai mumbled, pulling back his bangs from his brow before dropping his arm down like a dead weight. "I didn't even hear the damn truck leave."

"Mom let him take the car, since the neighbors keep complaining about the truck." Tala explained, finally crawling himself off his brother to let him up.

Kai shook his head, "He shouldn't have left to begin with." He muttered as he pushed himself off his bed, rubbing at his eyes again and tried to get them adjusted right.

"Should really get those looked at."

"I know and I will." Kai bit back at him, "And you need to get out so I can get dressed." He reminded, going to his dresser to get his clothes.

"Well hurry up, you're the last one up!" Tala whined at him before he left him alone, shutting the door behind him as he went.

Kai sighed, shaking his head. Even if this was his fourth Christmas with them it still felt like the first. He had never really spent Christmas with his other foster families, the only other one was Andrew, and even if they had only spent one together it was the one he cherished the most.

Mindlessly he grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head, staying in his shorts he had slept in and took himself out to join the others in the living room waiting for him. The Christmas tree, decked out in all it's glory, sitting near the glass doors and Tala was already plucking out presents from underneath it to hand them out.

"Sit, sit, sit." He commanded quickly at his brother.

Kai rolled his eyes as he made himself comfortable on the couch in the middle, Natasha in the armchair to his right and Micah on the loveseat to his left under the window.

Tala handed off the two boxes to his parents, the ones they had gotten the day before, and went back to get his and Kai's presents. Handing Kai his present as he sat down next to him on the couch.

"Babies first." He joked, eyeing his brother beside him.

Kai growled in the back of his throat as he tore into the small box, eyes going wide at the new reading tablet in his hands.

"That's from me!" Tala said happily beside him, loving the silence that had swept over his brother.

"Thank you." Kai grinned, examining the box close to his face so he could read the small print on the back of the box.

Natasha and Micah shared a worried look, taking a mental note to get him into the eye doctors soon. Their worry was quickly shoved down as Tala tore into his present, squealing in delight as he held up the Freddie Mercury shirt in the air above his head.

"It's so beautiful!" He squealed again, hugging it close to his chest.

"That's from me." Kai told him, the grin catching the width of his mouth now as he watched his brother fond over the shirt.

"It's perfect Skittles." Tala gushed, putting an arm around Kai's shoulders and dragged him into a sideways hug.

Natasha and Micah both laughed at the face Kai was making, even after four years they never got tired of these two at Christmas time.

"Alright, dad next!" Tala said, letting Kai go and shifted their eyes on Micah.

Micah tore through the paper, revealing the hard drive the two boys had gotten for him. Natasha was delighted with her new coffee maker, fawning over it like Tala had done his shirt. For another forty minutes they went around, littering the living room floor with heaps of different colored paper at their feet until they each had a stack of five presents beside them aside from Kai who had four.

"Oh, we almost forgot the last one!" Tala clapped his hands together, being swamped by his presents he had left and stuffed beside him in the cushion of the couch.

Kai arched a brow; he really hadn't thought about being the odd one out with only four presents even if it was tradition to have five each.

Tala bounded up from his spot on the couch, Micah quietly getting his phone out and going to the video recording as Natasha stood up and motioned for Kai to get up with her. He followed her command, coming to stand just on the other side of the armchair as Tala came down the hall pushing a box that reached his hips.

"What on earth?" Kai gasped, perplexed at the size of it.

"Merry Christmas Skittles!" Tala sang again, stepping back from the box once he had pushed it at Kai's feet.

"Is this really mine?" Kai asked, glancing at Natasha quickly.

"Yes, now open it!" Natasha looked ready to burst with excitement, leaving him no room to question what could possibly be in a box _that_ huge.

He stepped up to it, it wasn't wrapped thankfully, but he did have to fight with the stubborn packing tape at the top before he was able to push open the flaps and stared into the box full of packing peanuts.

"Very funny Tal…" Kai said dryly as he reached into the peanuts, almost falling into the box as he tried to feel around for something else until his fingers brushed another box near the bottom.

"Are you serious?" He shot a glare at his brother who was biting his lip, bouncing on his feet.

Getting no response he pulled out the smaller rectangular box, ignoring the different colored peanuts that had fallen to the floor around his feet. This box was wrapped with pictures of Santa Clauses face on the paper, tearing into it almost harshly and popped open the top flaps. Shaking it out he got more packing peanuts on the floor, another growl left his throat at that before a manila folder fell into the palm of his hand.

With an arched brow he dropped the box and looked between Tala and Natasha, finally seeing Micah standing in front of the armchair with his phone trained on the three of them and most importantly him.

"What is this?" His voice cracked.

"Just open it darling." Natasha coaxed, her voice cracking as she was fighting back tears.

Kai swallowed the lump that had found it's way to his throat, undoing the little gold pins that kept the folder sealed and reached inside. Pulling out a piece of paper, dropping the folder so he could hold it with both hands and put it towards his face so he could actually read it.

The first line he already felt a build up of tears, not sure what kind of dance his heart and stomach was trying to do at the moment as he kept reading down the paper. It was already signed at the bottom, all that was missing was his signature.

He had to clear his throat, before he lost it himself since Tala and Natasha were already crying around him. Micah was subtly trying to wipe the tears from his own eyes while keeping the phone as steady as he could.

"Do you have a pen?" Kai choked out anyways as the first set of tears spilled down his pale cheeks.

In a second Tala had produced a pen, his grin taking over the width of his tear stained face as Kai took it. Natasha picked up the smaller box the adoption papers had come in, holding it out for him as a base so he could sign it.

Forcing himself not to shake so hard, blinking past the tears, he scribbled out his name as best he could quickly. A breath, one so small not even he realized he had expressed past his lips, left him quietly as he stared down at the paper one last time.

The weight of the world, the weight of everything lifting off of him as he glanced down at his signature on that one little piece of paper that meant more to him than he could ever imagine.

He was free.

With tears in all of their eyes Kai turned to Natasha and threw his arms around her neck, being squished by her hug and then Tala coming up behind him and holding him just as tightly. Micah came over next, putting his arms around his wife and sons best he could as he had finally put his phone down and saved the video.

Getting the life squeezed out of him the family finally let go, drying the tears from their eyes. Kai handed the paper back to Natasha with the envelope it had come in, getting his hair brushed back fondly as a few rogue tears spilled down her face.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you too Ma." He choked back, wiping his face with the back of his arm.

"Go get cleaned up now, the both of you." She stepped back from him, holding the paper and envelope close to her chest as she leaned into Micah's chest behind her.

Kai nodded and went to get his other presents off the couch, Tala following after him. With their arms full they wandered down the hall, Tala nudging him in the arm as they went.

"You're stuck we me now Skittles."

Kai gave him a genuine smile, "You're stuck with me too ya know."

Tala laughed at that, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me too."

* * *

Stuffed to the brim with Christmas dinner, keeping himself wrapped in his jacket Kai sat on the top step of the front porch at ten as he waited for Ray to come home like he always did. The excitement not leaving him for a second, having to wait for Ray to come home and tell him.

He jumped to his feet as he watched Natasha's car pull down the road and up the drive quietly, already rushing out to greet him before Ray had even turned the car off and was waiting outside the drivers door.

Ray looked at him through the window, arching a tired brow as he cut the engine and pulled himself out of the vehicle, getting swamped by Kai's arms around his neck before he could even shut the door.

"Merry Christmas to you too." Ray chuckled, putting his arms around his back once the initial shock wore off.

"They did it!" Kai blurted out, pulling away from him and holding onto Ray's hands as if he was fixing to float off into the sky if he didn't have something keeping him grounded to the Earth.

"Who did what?" Ray laughed, liking the excitement Kai was radiating off of him.

"They adopted me! Natasha and Micah, they gave me the paper this morning as my Christmas present!" Kai said, trying to keep himself from jumping in place suddenly.

Ray bit the inside of his cheek until he couldn't hold it in anymore, "I know."

Kai's face fell quickly, "What do you mean you know?"

"They told me they were going to." Ray continued to laugh at him, loving the way Kai's excitement had switched so quickly on him.

"You could have told me!"

Ray shook his head, "Why would I do that? It'd spoil the surprise, did you like the big box and packing peanuts?"

"That was you?!" Kai asked loudly.

"It was, got the box the other day from work and convinced them to do it that way." Ray laughed harder at him.

"I thought it was Tala…" Kai admitted quietly, "I can't believe they did that though…" He whispered out, looking away from Ray a little.

"Why wouldn't they have?"

Kai shrugged at him, "I don't know… I never really thought about it, they never mentioned it or anything like that. So, I dunno…"

"It's not an easy process, especially trying to go against the chicken." Ray said with his own slight shrug, "But, this means you only have one last court hearing against him and then he can kiss your ass goodbye."

Kai chuckled at that, turning back to Ray and crashed their lips together quickly. Ray made a noise of surprise between them, his eyes slipping closed as he pulled Kai closer to him.

"What about you, are you okay?" Kai asked, pulling back away from him after a minute or two of being lip locked.

Ray nodded; his head dizzy all of a sudden. "Yeah, I'm alright. Should get inside now though, I'm freezing out here." He pulled his hands out of Kai's hold and shut the car door behind him, only to get his hand snatched back up into Kai's grasp and led towards the house.

"I think I know of a way to warm you up." Kai smirked, tugging Ray into his side as they walked across the stone path to the front porch.


	34. High Hopes

**Ch 34- High Hopes.**

The end of a cold December had left the two and their family with a more calm life, Stan was gone, Voltaire was being sued for the damages he had caused his own flesh and blood that he no longer had a hold on. The old graying judge had finally made good on his promise and the vile man would no longer be able to see the light of day for all he had done.

Through the sweat, the tears, the fights and the makeup sessions, the two somehow fought through it all together. It was never perfect, nothing in life was, but it was better than what they could have imagined to ever have. Someone who knew, who had gone through the same type of hardships and yet still vowed to stick around.

From their home life to school life, in Ray's case work life, things were smoothing out for the better. He could hold his head up high again, feel like he was more himself than he ever could before. No longer having to hide behind the scarred curtain of his past, feet ever moving him forward in the right direction.

With the New Year the two had gone to Tyson's to watch the ball drop and bring in 2018 to a close and 2019 to start. Grandpa had gone to visit Hiro in college, leaving the four boys alone to enjoy their own small party together. That was Ray's first kiss of 2019. The other two boys; Max and Tyson, hooting and hollering as the couple became lost between their locked lips until they could no longer breathe when Tyson threw himself at Max and kissed him just as hard in the moment of it all, only to be pulled back the moment he had stepped back.

The corner that Kai and Ray had found themselves in with Oliver and Enrique had two new members now, with the possibility of six more. It was just a matter of how the 2019 year played out for them all.

With the new year came spring, warming their little speck of the world and the schools sports were thrown into full swing. Competition upon competition flowing like wine between the three who partook in one thing or another, and for each race, each game, they were there cheering the other on through it all.

Ray had won their school the nationals again, where Rick had won the swim teams first county meet. Tyson and Michael had won the baseball teams third win of the season, only to be defeated in their fourth match and losing the title.

By the time they blinked spring had left and summer was rolling in, along with final exams and preparations for graduation and prom. Naturally Tyson and Max were planning out the best night of their lives with Ray, using up all their best tactics to get the fourth member of their corner to agree in going with them until Kai finally caved.

Amidst the planning for prom the three also had the grand idea of using their summer vacation as a way to escape the world for a week and getting the reparations from Voltaire and Stan's assets, the two had a wealth no normal teenager should ever have in their lifetime. Kai set back enough for college for himself and Ray, while Ray worked around the idea of making their summer vacation one neither would ever forget.

All it took was another blink of the eye and the exams stopped, the seniors were gone a week early and prom night was upon them. Summer vacation calling their name shortly after. The adoption process was still in the works, it wouldn't be finalized until school started again whereas Ray had been spared being a ward of the state and was able to live on his own with them. Tala had moved out, going to live with Bryan more permanently and Ray took his old room.

Thursday, April 18th.

"Ma, I got this…" Kai huffed in a sigh as he kept his chin up, Natasha working the tie around his neck as she was gushing over the two of them.

Ray of course was in the bathroom trying to do something with his hair for the night, Tyson and Max were going to come and pick them up in less than an hour and Ray wasn't even completely dressed yet.

"Oh come now Kai, let me do this for you." Natasha huffed back, glancing up at him for a second before her icy-blue eyes went back to her fingers working the tie around his neck.

Kai rolled his eyes behind the lenses of his glasses, having gotten his eyes checked out shortly after the winter break and finding out that he was farsighted. He had a set of contacts as well but they bothered his eyes, so settled on wearing the glasses for most of the time.

After a few more minutes Natasha's hands pulled away from the tie, smoothing down the collar of his black suit jacket with tears in her eyes.

"You look so handsome." She cooed, her hands stopping on either side of his chest where she could feel him breathing.

"Thanks Ma." Kai chuckled slightly, "You know this is just prom, right? I'm not getting married."

"In due time darling." She chuckled back with a wink.

Kai rolled his eyes, trying to look unfazed with the comment but the corner of his mouth tugged into a soft smirk. To say he was nervous would be an understatement, he wasn't one for crowds or dancing but had agreed to go. What made it worse was he and Ray were riding with Tyson and Max, their only way home and who knew how long they'd be staying there.

"I'm going to check on Ray, before you two are late." Natasha brought him out of his thoughts, patting his chest one last time before she pulled away from him and went across the hall to the bathroom.

The second she had called for him he opened the door to let her in, throwing her into another fussing session because he was not ready. Their voices getting cut off with the close of the bathroom door.

Kai checked his pockets for his phone, just incase he needed to call either of his parents to come pick them up. Max had their tickets. Once settled and satisfied he had what he needed he picked up the boutonniere, it was a step a bit too far but Natasha had insisted the two get them just so she could take thousands of pictures of the two.

Already she was putting up pictures of Ray on the walls beside the rest of her family photos, the first one was when he had won the nationals, and then more started to sprout of either him alone or with him and Kai to him and Tala and her and Micah; signifying that he was now permanently a member of their house.

"You look good son." Micah said as Kai stepped out from the hall, tugging at the top of his tie like it was choking him slightly.

"Thanks dad." Kai said as he came to stand beside him against the back of the couch, both waiting for Ray and Natasha to come out of the bathroom.

"You two have a fun, but safe, night." Micah reminded.

"We will."

"If you need anything, you call us." Micah continued.

"Yes dad."

"You have your phone, wallet?" Micah didn't let up, for a minute Kai was grateful for the fussing but it was starting to wear out it's welcome.

"Yes dad." Kai repeated, his tone getting duller.

As Micah went to speak the bathroom door finally opened, Natasha shoving Ray down the hall finally dressed and his long hair done in a simple long braid down his back and his bangs left to frame his face. To match Kai he went with a simple black suit, without a tie. In his hand was the boutonniere in it's clear plastic container, it was a white rose with the tips stained yellow and the stem wrapped in a gold ribbon.

"Go, go." Natasha continued to push Ray closer to Kai, a deep red blush on his face as she spun him around. Grabbing Kai next and pushing them closer together as Micah walked to stand beside her as she grabbed out her phone for the pictures.

"You two have to smile, you both look like you're about to go to a funeral not prom." She scorned playfully over the rim of her phone.

Ray snickered behind his hand, painting on an award winning smile as Kai rolled his eyes and did his best to smile with all the unwanted attention and fussing.

There were a few clicks of her phones camera, handing it off to Micah she went back and switched them around some for a different pose. Putting Kai's arm over Ray's shoulder with Ray's arm around the small of Kai's back, pressing their sides together.

Three more pictures and she repeated, forcing them into another pose for another five pictures.

"Okay, last one. Kai you pin yours on Ray and Ray once he's done, you pin yours on him." She said, this time pulling them apart where they stood facing each other.

Kai sighed and popped open the clear plastic container, dropping it over the back of the couch as he stepped closer and went to carefully pinning the boutonniere on the lapel of Ray's jacket. For his it was a red rose, with a red ribbon around the stem. Nothing over the top, just simple and plain like Ray's for him was.

Natasha had been pressing the camera's picture button at least a hundred times as Kai pinned it on, her finger jabbing the button again quickly as it was Ray's turn.

"We're not doing senior prom…" Kai said under his breath as Ray was busy pinning the rose onto his chest.

"I agree." He chuckled back, getting it on right and stepped back from him.

Before Natasha was able to get back at them for more pictures they were interrupted by a car horn outside. Both boys breathing a sigh of relief.

"Have them come in for pictures too!" Natasha said quickly as Kai was already trying to drag Ray out of the house.

"Ma!"

"Alright fine, go on." She rolled her eyes at him as she shooed at them by the door.

"Night guys, have fun." Micah called as they stepped out of the house.

"Night!" Ray waved at them, following behind Kai outside and shut the door behind them. "I never thought we'd get out of there."

"We wouldn't have had to endure that if we weren't going." Kai said in a dull tone.

Ray smirked, wrapping his arms around Kai's left arm as he followed him down the steps of the front porch and to Tyson's car.

"Oh c'mon, live a little. It's only a few hours."

"Only." Kai rolled his eyes, jerking open the back door of the car and letting Ray in first before he slid himself in beside him.

"Max… What're you wearing?" Ray asked, trying to bite back the smile as he took in the bright yellow suit his friend was wearing.

"Isn't it cool? It's so pretty!" Max said, gesturing to his suit.

"You look like a bottle of mustard." Ray said.

"But a cute bottle of mustard." Tyson interjected, giving his boyfriend a wide smile before he guided the car away from the sidewalk and back onto the road.

Tyson was dressed in a powder blue suit, his boutonniere the same mustard yellow as Max's suit and Max's boutonniere matched Tyson's powder blue.

"Have we decided where we're going for vacation?" Max asked, turning slightly to address the older two in the back.

"I'm still trying to get time off for a week in order to go, so I haven't though much on it." Ray said, his head already resting on Kai's shoulder and their fingers laced together on his lap.

"We still have two months to figure it out." Max said with a bright smile, turning back around to face the front end of the car.

"Have you told Grandpa yet?" Ray asked, as he watched Max reach over to hold Tyson's hand over the center console.

Although Ray couldn't see it, Max's smile faded a little. "Not yet… You know how he is…"

Ray nodded a little, his own mood slowly slipping away. It wasn't that Grandpa would kick Tyson out or anything, but it would be a huge blow to what Grandpa had always thought; Tyson and Hilary working past their differences and having a slew of great grandchildren sometime down the road. Maybe it would have worked, if Hilary hadn't been dating Tyson just for his brother Hiro in the end. Ray didn't blame Tyson for calling it off and actually trying something with Max in the end, somebody who wanted Tyson for him and not anything more.

Max had to tell his parents, after the swim meet because Tyson had thrown himself at Max and they couldn't worm their way out of lying to them. They were happy but cautious about it all the same.

Through the music and the thirty minute drive to the conference center the school had rented out for the night, the boys enjoyed the peace for what it was worth. Finding a parking spot in the over crowded lot, Tyson was forced to park near the back.

Both couples climbed out, taking up their respective partners hands and followed the crowd. They were a little late, not by much as it started at seven, and by the looks of it the entire thing was already thrown in full swing. Upbeat music pumping out of the open doors, some kids already leaving while more were flowing through the doors.

Through another set of doors, that led to the arena, they wandered inside with the rest of the junior class where half were on the dance floor while others were either in their own groups in conversation or drinking from the juice bar that lined either side of the arena. Teacher and chaperones eyes were carefully scanning around over the heads of the teens, looking and watching for any inappropriate behavior.

The theme that had been voted on was Casino Night, which was better than the alternate of Fairytales. The place was decked out in white, reds, and blacks. With life size cut outs out cards, fake poker stations and black jack with a roulette table. Some tables were already packed to the brim, with no room to sit and join a game even if they wanted to.

Dinner would be served in another room at nine with three options of either chicken, vegetarian, or shrimp. Though as the boys finally pushed their way through the crowd to the dance floor, they lost track of time and ended up skipping through their dinner with little breaks in between songs they didn't feel like dancing too for the punch bowl and finger foods that had been served.

Between the upbeat music that had kept the party going there were intervals of slow songs, most couples and those with just a date for the night had flooded the dance floor quickly, intent on showing off for the night. More guys in different colored suits and the girls in their best flowing ball gowns, faces caked in makeup that was running from the heat of the crowd.

"This feels familiar." Ray chuckled, following Kai's lead as they danced somewhere stuck in the center of the crowd as a slow dance had commenced, giving them the much needed break from the bouncing that Ray had been doing through most of the more energetic songs with Tyson and Max.

"Still not very good at it." Kai said, one hand on Ray's back with the other holding his hand.

"I think you dance just fine." Ray smiled up at him, "We've come a long way from that night, haven't we?"

Kai nodded, "Been one hell of a ride." He snorted.

"You know the best part of it though?" Ray asked, his golden eyes reflecting the love he held for the other one.

"Do tell." Kai's mouth broke out into a smile, already guessing what Ray was fixing to say.

"I'm not a teenage father, we're finally safe, and together."

"We still have a long way to go." Kai reminded in a soft tone.

"We do, but I'm afraid you're stuck with me." Ray gave him a fake pout.

"The agony." Kai played along, "What a terrible decision, really." He chuckled as he spun Ray away from him only to bring him back into his chest.

"Oh, definitely." Ray agreed, slipping his arms around Kai's neck as their dancing stopped suddenly. "I still think you an Oliver would make a cute couple."

"Seriously not my type." Kai smirked, pulling Ray closer till their chests were touching.

"Oh? I didn't know I classified as a 'type'." Ray smirked, feeling the tug within him to lean up and put his lips to Kai's.

"Mhmm." Was all Kai could get out before he bridged the ever closing space between them.

It was brief, it had to be because of all the eyes around them, still no matter how brief the world was left spinning under their feet.

At midnight on the dot the two regrouped with Tyson and Max, ready to call it a night and go home. On the way back the four finally decided where they should go for their week get-away, settling on Disney World.

Once more they were stuck with getting Kai to agree until he finally caved, Tyson and Max were left with getting their tickets and Kai and Ray were left with getting their rooms. Deciding it best to go the week before school started again, with promises of malls trips and beach trips galore just to fill the blank days that were going to approach.

Ray had work, Kai was going to start an internship at Micah's work just to have something to do and pass the time but they promised to have that week off. Ray fought tooth and nail to get that week off, finally getting the permission he needed and by the time they blinked again it was time for their week getaway.

Whoever had dubbed it the 'happiest place on Earth' had clearly lied. It was hot, crowded, and full of small children that ran between their legs and their parents were either too tired to care or just didn't. Four parks and five days later the boys were burnt to a crisp, tired and exhausted collapsing on their beds the moment they returned to their respective rooms each night. They had one more day, deciding to go back to the Magic Kingdom to do what they couldn't their first day there and actually stay for the fireworks before they returned for their last night in the hotel and gear up for the four hour drive back home.

They went a bit easier on the activities, just to reserve some of their energy for the next day and drive that when the night had come and they stayed to watch the fireworks they felt the end of the summer actually hitting their shoulders. Come Monday they were going to be seniors, starting a new chapter of their lives.

As the night sky became alive with the bright colors and the resonating booms as the fireworks went off overhead, being synced to the familiar songs from various movies, Ray pressed his back into Kai's chest where they stood off to the side behind the main crowd. Tyson with his arm around Max's shoulder, the blonde's head nestled under his chin fighting off sleep as they stood beside the other two.

Kai's arms were wrapped around Ray's shoulders, with Ray's hands holding his over his chest where they both could feel his heartbeat. Their feet were sore, covered in sweat and tired despite having been trying to go it easier during their time there.

Around them there were collective ooh's and awe's from children and some adults, everyone's necks craned so far back to see the night light up again as the finale started. Cracks and booms ricocheted around the park, almost shaking the ground as firework after firework was sent off shooting into the sky and bursting out in an array of colors. The front of the castle had been given it's own light show on the face of it, some with scenes from the movies to pictures of those in the park from that day.

As the sky darkened again and the lights came back on the parents were busy grabbing their children back into their arms, the four standing back and waiting for the worst to pass by them before they pulled away from their partners to find the bus that would take them back to their hotel.

Dragging their feet they finally made it to their doors, Tyson waving at them from down the hall where his and Max's room sat.

"Night guys!" Tyson waved from down the carpeted hall, Max tiredly leaning on his shoulder as he carelessly swiped the card to their hotel room through the lock.

"Night!" Ray called just as tiredly, trying to keep standing on his feet as Kai got their door open and was stepping in.

Ray followed after him, yawning behind his hand and kicking his shoes off as he stepped into their hotel room. Thank God they went for a plain one, not one where the Disney characters eyes were on them 24/7.

"How's your back?" Ray asked, watching Kai seat himself on the end of their bed and pulling his boots off.

Kai had been elbowed in the back by a father trying to wrangle his child while they had waited in line for a ride, although he hadn't been hit that hard it had knocked some wind out of him and he sat out for most of the other rides just to be on the safe side that he wouldn't anger his back any.

"It's alright, the guy didn't hit me that hard." Kai answered dully, tossing his boots across the room where they landed in front of the dresser in a tumbled heap.

Throwing himself back, half on the bed half off, he closed his eyes. The sun burn on the back of his neck stinging him slightly, no matter how much sunscreen he had bathed himself in through the entire day at the park his normal milky white skin was now pink. Ray on the other hand hadn't touched one drop of sunscreen and his tan skin was darker, like he was one of those bronze men who lifted weights for a living.

"You sure you're alright?" Ray asked as he stepped into the room some more, flicking the light on in the bathroom so he wasn't tripping over anything.

"Just tired, haven't done something like this before." Kai responded, turning his head as Ray sat down beside him on the corner of the bed.

"Oh…" Ray fiddled with the end of his hair, having put it up in a red wrap to keep it off his back while navigating through the heat and sun all day.

"What's wrong?" Kai sat up, pulling his legs up underneath him.

Ray's fingers twirled around a strand of hair, biting into his lower lip some as his heart started to beat faster in his chest suddenly.

"Well… Um…" He started, not sure how to finish his thoughts now.

How did he tell him? How could he tell him?

Kai watched, waiting patiently as he tried to get a read on him sitting there not looking back. He cleared his throat a little, not to grab Ray's attention but because his mouth was dry.

"I want to have sex." Ray blurt out finally, though he still refused to look at Kai now and he wouldn't dare; his face had finally caught on fire and was covered in a deep red blush that reached either side of his face and into his ears.

"I'm sorry?" Kai blinked at him a few times, his brain coming to a screeching halt as his stomach twisted in knots.

"It's been ten months; we haven't done it yet and tomorrow is our last day of vacation." Ray reasoned, staring at the hair in his lap as he watched the tip of his finger starting to turn colors with how tightly he had wrapped it up in the strand of hair.

"We've done other things." Was all Kai's brain could shoot out of his mouth, it seemed like the right thing to say but seeing Ray frown at that he tried to kick his brain back into working order.

"I mean… If you want…" He offered instead, hoping that would make it better.

"I do. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't want it." Ray mumbled, finally turning and meeting Kai's eyes. "I mean, why haven't we before?"

Kai's mouth opened; no noise came out. Ray frowned again.

"Do you not want to?"

Kai shook his head almost violently, "I do… I just… I didn't want to push you into it, because…"

"Because I'm a virgin." Ray finished for him, not looking amused.

"Well, that and… You know, we really can't at home." Kai said, rubbing the back of his burnt neck that was stinging more now.

"Then we should do it here, we've been here for a week and you've hardly touched me."

Kai nodded, dropping his hand down to his lap again as he licked his lips nervously. "Well… Um…" He stuttered out again.

Ray waited patiently for him this time, trying to read him. Why Kai was so nervous all of sudden was beyond him, he wasn't the one who was a virgin.

"You're not going to hurt me." He broke the awkward silence that had come over them, giving him a bored look in the process.

"It wouldn't be intentionally, no. I'm not going to lie to you though, but it does hurt." Kai explained, meeting Ray's eyes this time.

Ray nodded like he understood, a flame of jealousy igniting in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know who topped who when Kai was with Brooklyn, he never wanted to know, but now that cemented it and it left a terrible taste in his mouth.

"I know." He didn't mean to sound angry when he spoke but the slight growl in the back of his throat was noticeable.

Kai shook his head again, "You don't, you don't know."

"I've done my homework." Ray said proudly, sitting himself up more as if he was a student getting an outstanding grade on his test.

"Like what? Porn?" Kai snorted as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, "Because that isn't worth shit, it doesn't prepare you for what it's actually like."

"So teach me." Ray said, pulling his own legs up on the bed and turned to face Kai now. "I'm not going to learn if we don't do it at some point here, and I'm not looking for a celibate relationship this time."

Kai shifted where he sat, his brain working overtime now as he thought of what he could tell him. What needed to be said, while his heart was busy trying to break free from within him.

"One, lube is your best friend. Two, you can't just force it in or you'll tear something and when you're on the receiving end you have to be relaxed." He listed off, holding Ray's gaze as Ray was already nodding back at every word he said.

"Is that it?" Ray asked since Kai had gone back to quietly contemplating what else there was to tell him.

"Three, you have to get undressed."

"Well, I figured that." Ray snickered.

"No, I mean get undressed." Kai said, his face for once looking serious with a glint in his eyes.

"Oh… Oh you mean right now." Ray's eyes widened as he mentally kicked himself.

Kai nodded, not moving as Ray jumped off the bed and went to pulling his tank top off over his head. Ray threw it off, it landing somewhere near the door as he stood there with his fingers in the hem of his shorts.

"You didn't want to help me?" Ray asked, his heart beating so hard now it hurt.

Kai shook his head at him, leaning back on his hands to enjoy the show.

Ray's face burned again as he went to the button and zipper of his shorts, trying to secretly inhale every breath he could. They had done things before; Kai had seen him naked before and he Kai. Why suddenly this felt different he wasn't sure, but his nerves were flaring up and he fought with himself to not shake as he wiggled himself out of his shorts and boxers.

In the barely lit room Kai's crimson eyes took everything in quickly, not as subtly as he thought but he really didn't give a damn if Ray noticed. The lesser scars were barely noticeable now, leaving him with only a few that stuck out around his hips and the biggest one along his stomach in a diagonal line the ran from the top of his left rib to the bottom right one.

"Go shower."

Ray arched a brow; he wasn't expecting that but understood. He was sweaty and gross from their day out, hardly sexy or smelling good enough for something like this.

"You're not gonna come with me?" He smirked, trying to work past his nerves.

Kai shook his head at him, getting a pout in return. Though Ray didn't move, thinking that if he stood there long enough Kai would finally get up and actually come with him. Kai did get up, slowly, and stalked over to him.

Ray stepped closer though Kai kept the distance from him as he reached around and unclasped the end of the wrap behind Ray's neck, letting out the long hair to come around and wash over Ray's back.

"Shower, now." Kai said in a deep rumble, stepping back from him.

Ray nodded dumbly, turning on his heel and took himself to the bathroom. He left the door cracked, in case Kai changed his mind.

Going to the side table that held the lamp Kai pressed the button down and lit up the corner of the room, turning the other one on, on the other side of the bed, giving the room enough light in a soft glow. Quietly he went to his bag that he had left on the dresser and rummaged around inside it for the lube he had brought, despite not touching Ray through the week of being on vacation he had brought it just in case he changed his mind; thankful that he did.

Next to it, at the bottom of his bag, was the box of condoms Natasha had bought him months ago. Unopened and unused. He had himself tested six months into their relationship, everything came back fine. Ray was a virgin; he didn't think they'd need them since Kai was planning on keeping Ray for the rest of their lives. He'd be Ray's first and last, so he left them there at the bottom of the bag.

Despite his calm exterior he was really screaming in his head, he had to look calm for Ray's sake. He had done this before, more times than he cared to admit, while Ray hadn't. He needed to be the one to lead, the one to coach in this so they wouldn't end up hurting each other in one way or another.

His nerves snapped as the sound of the shower kicked off, painting on a neutral face he set the lube down on the side table beside the lamp and came around the bed as Ray stepped out of the bathroom. Barely sparing him a glance, a touch or a word, Kai walked past him into the warm bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Ray stood there, a towel wrapped around his trim hips, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened suddenly. Was Kai backing out? Were they not going to do this now? The sound of the shower kicking back on brought him out of his dazed and confused thoughts, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he exhaled heavily.

"Just breathe… Relax…" He reminded himself quietly, stepping back towards the bed and saw the lube sitting on the table.

His heart stopped before it kicked back up on him.

"Breathe dammit…" He cursed lowly, crawling onto the bed towards the lube and plucked it off the table to read over it while he waited.

His hands were still shaking, fighting himself to stop it best he could as he listened to the sound of the shower still running. He had brushed his teeth while in there, scrubbed every inch and nook and cranny of his body that he could. His hair was still damp, not wanting to waste the time in properly drying it at the moment.

As his eyes scanned over the labels for the fifth time the shower finally kicked off, scrambling to put the lube back exactly where he got it from and tried to find a good position to sit or lay himself in. God he didn't know what to do, didn't really know what to expect and his nerves were already shot.

He wasn't going to back out though, not now. It was too late for that.

He sucked in air as the bathroom door opened, flooding the room with light until it cut off and the only light left was coming from the lamps beside him. He didn't even hear Kai as he stepped towards the bed, and as it dipped he released the air he had been holding in.

"We don't have to do this." Kai said quietly as he climbed in the bed beside him, sitting to his left as he faced him.

Ray shook his head at him, "I want to, if you do." He said quickly, trying not to breathe too heavily now where he became glued to the pillows he was propped up against.

"We'll see how far we can get; I don't want to hurt you." Kai said in that same calm, quiet voice that would normally soothe him but it really only made his body shake again.

"You won't." He tried to sound convincing, who he was trying to convince he wasn't sure.

"I won't make promises I can't keep." Kai said, holding Ray's gaze again for a minute before he took up his left hand in his.

"Also, you'll have to cut these." He said, kissing the tips of Ray's fingers tenderly.

Ray shook again, not that he really cared now as he sucked in more air through his teeth.

"Okay…" He said shakily once he knew he could properly speak.

Kai smirked a little at him, his lips still pressed to the tips of Ray's fingers as he kissed over them again gently. Feeling Ray shaking again he tugged his hand, signaling for him to come closer.

Ray sat up more, shifting towards him as he followed the silent command until their knees touched. Kai bridged the space between them, kissing his lips just as gently as he had done Ray's fingers. Instantly Ray melted into it, tasting the mint on Kai's lips and breathing it in as he opened his mouth to let him in.

Kai's tongue delved inside without hesitation, the hand that had been holding Ray's released the hold he had and moved to the back of his neck to pull him in closer. There was a noise between the two, who made it they didn't care as the kissing turned more heated instead of sensual.

Kai continued to kiss him until he could no longer feel him shaking, their mouths breaking apart with a slight pop and once again Ray was left with trying to collect air into his depleted lungs.

* * *

Ray couldn't even move a pinky finger, reveling in the tingling sensations that pricked his skin as his muscles started to relax as his body felt like it was sinking deeper into the bed. His legs were cramping, thankful that when Kai had fallen forward that they were released and left to lie on either side of him.

For a first time ride that wasn't as bad as he had imagined, if his body worked properly he'd be ready to do it again. Instead they both passed out, wrapped around each other without a care in the world. Sleeping past their alarm clock and rushing to get the other two down the hall and check out of the hotel before they were charged for another day's stay.

Through the five hour drive home, with a one hour breakfast stop in between, Ray was beaming like the sun. Finally they had done it, they had cemented their relationship and he didn't have any regrets. Going off by the look in Kai's eyes, whenever he got the chance to look at him, he didn't see any regrets there either. After all they had been through, put each other through, they had somehow come out stronger and on top.

They had a year left of high school, going it alone they would have dreaded it. Somewhere else they would have hated it. With one more year, together, they were looking forward to it. Once they graduated they would be able to go on and start their lives, for what they both hoped out of it was something long term.

If they could keep their pasts, their demons, at bay.


	35. Dead Love Song

**Prolly weird seeing an update for this, but a bit of backstory as to why you're seeing this. There was this song I wanted to use for a chapter during the main story that I never got to use that seemed perfect for Ray and Mariah's relationship, then I found one that matched Kai and Brooklyn's relationship before Kai and Ray ever met. So thus, I came up with this mini chapter of sorts (I say mini when it's 11k words lol)  
Anyways, the song belongs to New Medicine if ya'll wanna check it out. I may or may not do Kai and Brooklyn's chapter because of the topics that were revealed during the duration of the entire fic, and I don't want to romanticize an abusive relationship like that. Those interested in the song I picked for them though is I Fell in Love with the Devil by Avril Lavigne (kinda goes with the chapter Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin that was used way back when. (referring to Brooklyn being the 'devil'))**

 **Slight warning, Stan is still alive in this chapter since this takes place before the events of the story as a whole and there is an attack that occurs (once more not in detail.)**

 **Also, one last HUGE thank you to everyone who had stuck through the original fic, those who have come back for the sequel, this story blew up way beyond my expectations and it has been one of my greatest highlights of being a writer and that wouldn't have happened without everyone here who came and gave me such wonderful feedback and reviews. So thank you, everyone from the bottom of my heart.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Why don't you ask her out?"

It was a simple question, one that he got far too often these past few years. They started somewhere around seventh grade from their friends, till the question seemed to be the only thing on everyone's minds within the school as if it was their business what he did or didn't do. Of course that wasn't where the questions had even started, her family had asked that several times over the course of their year long friendship.

He had practically grown up with them, befriending Lee first and as most younger siblings do Mariah just followed and fell in step with whatever they decided to do. He would never understand it, why couldn't they just be friends? It wasn't like they were asking him if he was going to ask Lee out, so why did they find the need to question him about Mariah?

Seven year olds often didn't even think about such things, and he was really no exception when it came down to it. He had other, better, things to focus on and enjoy as normal of a childhood as he could. Why did he need to have a 'girlfriend', they were already friends and Mariah was already a girl, so what was the big stink about?

Even years later the questions never stopped, friends, family, random strangers they passed by would offer their opinions on how much they thought the two would make the best couple. It would be romantic; childhood sweethearts. But to him, it made him feel sick to his stomach. She was like a sister to him, and most sane people didn't date their sisters.

He'd do his best to brush the comments and questions off, the people who stared too long as if they were waiting for him to make the move that would just confirm their suspicions. It seemed to only get worse as the years went by, Lee would joke about how they'd be brother-in-laws and how he'd be an uncle to their five kids.

Then the ultimate test approached almost in the blink of an eye; high school.

They were freshmen, Lee was already a year ahead of them, and there was an unspoken rule that if you weren't dating you weren't worth the time of day; no better than the chewed up gum stuck to the underside of the cafeteria tables. It was a stupid rule, but it seemed to be followed regardless by his peers. Tyson was back to dating Hilary again before the school year even started up, doing the break up make up dance since eighth grade, even if Hilary seemed reluctant at first but of course she didn't want to start the last four years of her school days single. This was the time to make impressions, outshine your other classmen in all aspects of your life. Though the only thing on Ray's mind was just surviving to see another day, to do his best with his school work and work hard at his part-time job to keep a flow of money in so he could run the second he turned eighteen. Dating, anything like that, was far from what he wanted or needed at the moment.

Nobody knew, why should they know? It wasn't like any of them would understand, could even comprehend or help. Then there were the times he thought maybe it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be, that one day he'd wake up and it would just stop. That he wouldn't have to worry anymore about a random lashing, verbal or physical, and things would go back to the way they were.

If he caved, finally did what everyone had been pressuring him to do the past seven or so years of his life, that meant he'd be at risk of exposing the darker side of his life to her and ultimately the others. He risked losing them all, and that thought was worse than any of the others that had ever crossed his mind; if it wasn't for the others he more than likely would have given up a long time ago. The absolute last thing he ever wanted was to lose any of them because of what went on behind closed doors in his own home, he didn't think he'd be able to survive without them and that included Mariah.

They had a good thing going, why change it? As much as he fought back, didn't want to do it, their second year of high school rolled around with another blink of the eye. They were all a year older, not so much wiser, and their bodies were changing as did everyone else's. Hormones were raging and there was that same stupid rule hanging over all their heads, the pressures to date fell on their shoulders and as hard as Ray pushed down every question, he could feel himself cracking on the inside.

Then the worst possible thing happened, it was Mariah's fifteen birthday. Naturally he was there to attend, along with the others that were in their circle of friends and then some of her own from the cheerleading squad. Worst of all was grandma Bao had flown in from China, bringing with her the old traditions of their people and culture and of course that same simple yet annoying question.

"Why don't you ask her out?"

If he hadn't regarded the Wongs as another family, the one he never truly had, he would have finally snapped and lost it. Exhausted from saying the same things over and over, hearing the same things over and over. She was just a friend; he wasn't even attracted to the opposite sex. That, like everything else, was hidden away in the darker parts of his life and would be taken to his grave.

"You're not getting any younger." Grandma Bao laughed, somehow having cornered him in the kitchen. Alone.

"She'd make a fine wife; you'd have beautiful children. What's wrong with her that you haven't asked yet?" The questions just poured out of the old woman's cracked lips, her wrinkly eyes piercing through to his soul.

"Nothing's wrong with her." Was the answer, the same one he had set on repeat every time someone had asked him that.

"Then what's wrong with _you_ boy, can't you see how perfect you two would be? A match made in heaven, that's what this is and you're going to let it slip through your fingers before you even have a chance." Grandma Bao chuckled, though Ray couldn't find the funny side to this, all he could find in himself to do was sink further and further into himself.

Why weren't they asking Max these questions, or even Kenny or someone other than him? Why did it have to be _him_?! That's all he wanted to know, he didn't need this extra stress and pressure on everything else he was carrying around on his back.

"It's high time you manned up, admit your feelings for her today before the day is done. It would make this birthday by far the best one she's ever had." It wasn't a question; it was a command and Ray felt his back being pressed against a wall with no way out.

His twitchy flight or fight switch not knowing which way to go with this, he didn't want to but the old woman's tone and stare was hardly giving him room to protest. Much less giving him any room to just simply leave either.

With a defeated sigh, that last parts of him breaking internally and screaming, he nodded back to the old woman before giving a respectful bow.

"That's a good boy, I just know you two will make each other happy."

He could only hope so, but he highly doubted it. As good of a friend she was, as nice of a person she was, she was still his little sister. It felt weird, of course it did, because he didn't want to do it. Yet his feet carried him outside where everyone else was, grandma Bao not far behind him and could feel her eyes on his back intently.

Out of everything, he didn't want to make a huge spectacle over it. Just ask, get the yes he knew that would follow, and be done with it. That was the first half, though it seemed to be the hardest part. How did one just ask that?! Did he get down on one knee like he was proposing, hold her hands or pull her into an embrace as they stared deeply into each other's eyes like in the movies?

No, he didn't need to do any of those things. All he needed to do was pull her aside and ask, get it over with as quickly and as painless as possible with little to no fanfare.

First thing first, he needed to get her away from the other girls on the cheer squad. The second he approached them the giggling got louder, eyes were shifting suspiciously and some with a hidden jealousy behind them. Doing his best to just focus on Mariah, ignore the riffraff and eyes, he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked, pointing behind him towards the back end of the yard where a large oak tree stood. It was the only place that didn't have anyone else nearby, no extra set of ears to listen in even if he knew the eyes would follow.

Mariah's face lit up, as if she had been waiting all day for this exact moment. The giggling of her friends getting louder that she couldn't seem to stop her own from slipping through some.

"Of course." She bounced, quickly following him as he lead them away from the group of girls that started to whisper amongst each other.

Stopping just under the shade and cover of the oak's leaves and branches, Ray finally turned to face her again and about jumped back with how close she was standing in front of him. Batting her long lashes at him, with a knowing smile and look in her yellow eyes.

"What is it Ray?" She asked in a sweet tone, and even her voice hinted on knowing.

If she knew then what was the point in even asking? Though he could feel the eyes, more importantly grandma Bao's, on them and piercing him through again.

"I um… I was wondering…" He stuttered out, wishing to God he wasn't. He wasn't nervous, not like most would suspect him to be. In truth, he was feeling sick to his stomach in having to do this at all.

"Do you want to go out with me?" He spewed out at lightning speed, reminding himself he needed to do this quickly like he was ripping off a band aid.

Mariah's already bright face outshone the sun in that moment, her knowing smile taking over the width of her face as she threw herself into his chest. Her arms going around his broad neck and shoulders, holding him close as she bounced on the tips of her toes.

"Yes, yes, oh I never thought you'd ask!"

Stunned and a bit off balance, Ray patted her on the back in more of a friendly fashion than a brand new couple. The last shreds of himself tearing away and turning to dust. He forced himself to stare off past the vibrant pink hair that was peeking just under his nose, trying hard not to look back at anyone who was staring at the two.

Grandma Bao had said this was a match made in heaven, then why did it feel like he was already in hell?

When Mariah finally released his neck and he could breathe a bit better, she ran back to tell the news to her friends. Even from where he was standing he could hear them all laughing and cheering for her, as if they had just gotten engaged.

His heart plummeted into his stomach as a sinking realization hit him. He was never going to get out of this, he'd have to live in another lie to keep the friends he had made; the only family he truly had. The only bright side to any of it now, that he could see, was that it would stop the questions. It would make everyone happy, get off his back and maybe somehow he'd be able to learn to tolerate the entire idea if he just gave it time.

What went on after that, he couldn't recall, working on auto-pilot till he was picked up by his uncle. At one point he was sure Lee had clapped him on the back and congratulating him before, hopefully in a joke, saying he'd kill him if he broke his baby sisters heart. He was sure Grandma Bao had said something to him before he left, her parents giving their blessing and her father making a close threat to Lee's about breaking his baby girl's heart.

Now that he was away from all of that, the real battle was left to be won. Mariah had kissed him on the cheek before he had climbed into the truck, Stan had seen and the second the vehicle was down the road there was a tension in the air between the two.

It could go one way or a completely different way, it was up in the air at the moment but for the time being he preferred the quiet till they reached their home. The one beside it still with it's for sale sign stuck in the yard as it had been the past few weeks, he didn't even really know the people who lived there so it wasn't like he would miss them any.

The second the truck was parked in the drive he was fumbling quickly with his seat belt to get out and in the safety of his room, the tension overhead getting thicker with each passing second and the moment he was free and his door was thrown open a hand came down onto his shoulder. Flinching at the touch, his whole body breaking into a cold sweat in seconds.

"You finally grabbed those tiny balls of yours and asked her out?" Stan asked in a condescending tone.

"Y-yeah…" Ray answered back in almost a timid voice, feeling frozen under the hand on his shoulder.

Stan let out a laugh, his hand lifting only to come down hard against Ray's shoulder. "That's more like it boy! Finally acting like a man! Just keep that in your pants till you're married."

Ray cringed on the inside, that was the last thing he needed to hear from his uncle and nodded back to him. "Yes sir."

"You got chores to do now boy, best get to them." Stan's once joyful tone turned deadly, his fingers curling into Ray's shoulder tighter.

"Yes sir." Ray repeated, waiting to be let go. If he jerked, fought back, it only ever made it worse. He had already missed school on Tuesday because he had stepped out of line Monday night, he couldn't risk missing any days because track season was fixing to start up soon.

After another second Stan released his hold on Ray's shoulder, wasting no time in throwing himself from inside the truck and rushing up the steps of the front porch and into the house. As Stan had said, there were chores to do. Mounds of them. Though he wasn't surprised, having stayed over at Max's the night before, he always came back to the place looking as though his uncle was throwing the best raves in town.

Beer bottles, pizza, and take out boxes lined the kitchen counters. There was mud tracked in from out back through the kitchen and into the hall, the trashcan was overflowing and there was a laundry basket full of his uncles clothes set up and waiting for him by the back door.

Starting with the over flowing trashcan he got to work, his body going on high alert the second he heard the front door close as his uncle stepped inside. Keeping his head low, his eyes focused on his task of tying the trash bag up quickly to get out just for a second to breathe.

The house always had a heavy feel to it, the air almost constantly suffocating that the only time he could breathe was when he was outside even for a brief moment. In a month he'd be turning sixteen, just two more years to get through this hell before he could tell his uncle to kiss his ass and be halfway across the country.

First, he needed to make sure he got his license and he had already pleaded and begged to get it the day of his birthday. After weeks of silence he was finally granted permission to get one, but then came the lectures of how he would need to fork over his own money for a vehicle. He had plenty saved, it would cut into his New Life funds but if it meant taking that one extra step closer out that door for good, he was willing to do it.

With the trash outside and a new bag in the can he got to work in throwing out what had been left out for him to take care of, his uncle no doubt in his room sleeping like he often did on Sunday nights. The quiet was nice, something he would always rather have than the verbal lashings, but needing something to fill his head with other than what had just happened back at Mariah and Lee's, he pulled out his phone to turn on some music. Keeping the volume low, not wanting to upset his uncle and cause a problem, setting the small black device down on an empty space on the counter.

When the clock on the stove read off 10:00PM he was finally done, having about broken his back from scrubbing off the mud that had been tracked through the house and then just mopping the rest of the hardwood floors throughout the living room. Thankful his home wasn't that big. The counters were scrubbed down just as well, not wanting to risk getting sick from nasty days old food particles that may have settled on the surface.

With a quick shower and his teeth brushed, letting his long hair loose for the night, he retired to bed with a different feeling in his chest than the night before. Despite the plans he had for getting the hell out from under his uncle the second he turned eighteen, there was now a bump in those plans. How was he going to do this with her attached to him now? Better yet, how was he even going to go through it all like he was actually fine with it?

It wasn't just his uncle now that made him feel this way, it was now everyone else who would be watching intently for him to fuck everything up. Giving them all a reason to abandon him when he needed them, even if they would never know what kind of life he lived, they were his reasons to keep going. To keep waking back to hell on Earth, just to see their smiling faces and hear their stupid childish jokes. Being reminded that not everything was bad, not when he was with them and that still included Mariah.

Maybe, it wouldn't be as hard to do this as he originally had thought. He cared for her, once more as a younger sister, but there might be a way he could see her in this new light. Make it work, just to keep the others from leaving him because he needed them. This way it kept everyone happy, and as long as he had them he was happy. Even if it meant he didn't feel free.

The days that followed were different, the questions had finally stopped but now he was bombarded with words of 'took you long enough', 'you two make such a cute couple', and the worse one 'when's the wedding?'

It was constant, annoying, and it grated on every nerve possible. It had barely been a month in and he was already at the ends of his ropes with it all, despite doing all that he could to try and put up the front of the perfect boyfriend he didn't feel it. No matter how hard he tried, dug down as deep as he could, he didn't love her.

Somehow the others were fooled though, playing up the two of them as the perfect couple; the talk of the school for the next three months afterwards. The eyes that had been on him before, that he thought would finally turn and look away, felt like they were staring harder. Watching his every move, waiting for him to slip up and break the perfect lie he had created and thrown himself into.

Four months later and they hadn't even shared their first kiss yet. In fact Rick so happened to be his first 'kiss', back during Oliver's yearly Halloween party when he had jumped into the pool and knocked himself out in a drunken stupor.

Since then they held hands often, but even that took until their second month of dating and now they were on approaching their fifth month in a matter of weeks.

Through the course of those months, things at home weren't getting better. When he turned sixteen back in October he was able to get his license, a month later he had a truck, nothing special or new but it was his real first big purchase and it was _his_. He had worked, shed blood sweat and tears for it, it was his baby and he took pride in having it.

That changed shortly after he returned home from working a back breaking shift at the diner, to see his uncles truck not in the drive despite knowing he was home. At first he didn't question it, maybe it was in shop or he was letting one of his drinking buddies use it. Either way, it wasn't really Ray's problem to think over too long.

Until his uncle came up to him and told him he needed his truck two days later, expectantly holding out his hand as he towered over Ray sitting at his desk in his room.

Ray did a double take from his laptop to his uncle's outstretched hand, the music playing in his ears being too loud to have heard him and plucked out one of the earbuds as he arched a brow in question.

Instantly he could see Stan's round face get red, he was taking too long in giving him what he wanted. There was always a small window of opportunity to fix it, quickly jumping through to stop something from happening, Ray went to pull out his wallet from his back pocket.

"I said your keys, boy!" Stan's voice boomed as his eyes narrowed harder.

Ray flinched and paused before looking back up at him, "Why do you need my keys?"

Stan raised a hand and slapped it across the back of his head, "Just give me the keys boy!" He roared out, using that same hand and putting it back out between them.

Ray hissed at the sting along the back of his head, popping out the other earbud before getting up and going to where he kept his keys in his side table by the bed. Fishing them out and handing them over, though still wasn't sure why his uncle would need them in the first place.

Stan snatched the jingling keys out of Ray's hand, plucking off the key fob for the truck and tossed back the house and diner keys at him. "You're on your own for dinner tonight."

Ray stood, dumbfounded as he stared at the back of Stan's head. Taking his truck key without rhyme or reason, though this wasn't much of a surprise. If anything, with him gone he'd be able to breathe easier for however long he was gone for. Until it finally clicked in his head what had just happened.

"Wait, hold on. Why are you taking my truck?" He called after him, though stayed where he stood.

Stan humored him, looking back over his shoulder as he stopped in the doorway of Ray's room. "It's _our_ truck, you live here so consider this part of your rent."

"But I already pay you enough, what happened to your truck?" Ray argued, though kept his voice calm. If he yelled back he feared what would happen.

"Sold it." Stan answered with a slight shrug, "So now we'll have to rely on yours."

Ray sputtered as he choked on the air in his lungs, "Why would you sell your truck? What was wrong with it?"

"Nothing, just didn't see the point in having two vehicles when I have one driveway and not enough room for both." Stan shrugged again at him.

Ray felt his heart chip away, nothing could ever just be _his_. It didn't matter what it was, his uncle always seemed to just take, even if he already had something similar or exactly the same. If Ray bought a new pair of shoes they were either taken or just simply 'misplaced', never to be seen again though Stan would have a few extra bucks in his back pocket soon after.

"But the whole point of me buying it was so we didn't have to rely on just one." He argued again, though really it was pointless to even try at the point since it was already said and done.

Stan shrugged his shoulders again, as if he cared what Ray had to say about it. "Then guess you're just going to have to work around this." He said before turning back around and walking away, leaving his nephew behind in a silent bubbling rage.

The second the front door was closed Ray finally let it out, throwing the keys he had still been holding onto to the ground. Tugging at his hair with a growl in the back of his throat until it seemed to pass, going back to his desk and sat down roughly into the chair. Though couldn't bring himself to get back to working on his school paper, they were on Christmas break and he had several assignments lined up in waiting for him to get to, but after that all he could do was stare at the screen of his laptop angrily.

The longer he stared, the angrier he got. His mind going in several different ways at once, one point it took him back to Oliver's party two months ago where he about drowned in the pool. Part him slightly wishing that had been the outcome instead of Rick pulling him out and giving him mouth to mouth to save his life. The other part was still thankful for it, even if it was embarrassing to live with, but seeing how the others had been terrified for him it only made him feel even more foolish for having even done such a stupid thing.

Tyson and Max were constantly checking on him now, Mariah was clingier than usual but in a way he understood. He could have potentially died that night, and not that he didn't appreciate their concerns, the prying and questions kept flowing in and it was draining. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hold out with it all, the more they questioned and kept trying to stick all their noses into his life the harder it was going to be to keep them from finding out the truth.

Since then he had been trying to put in a bit more effort with Mariah, even if they hadn't shared an actual kiss yet, but things weren't going as bad as he had anticipated beforehand. They were close to five months in, yet he still felt the same about it. Still had his reservations and the blaring obvious red flag that he just wasn't attracted to her, or any other female for that matter.

It didn't matter what he did though, there was no way he'd be able to get out of it now. Having played the part this well for so long, he was going to be stuck with her for the rest of his life.

Pushing himself roughly away from his desk, he went to his backpack and dug out the pack of cigarettes hidden at the bottom. He needed a breather, something to relax the multitude of thoughts raging in his head for just a minute or two. With Stan gone he'd be able to shower, wash away the stink of the smoke, and hopefully be in bed before he even came home.

Stepping outside onto the front porch of his home, he leaned against the railing as he popped a cigarette between his lips and lit it up quickly. Pulling his jacket around him tighter as the chilly December breeze swept by him, not really focusing on anything in particular as he stood out there and stared out at the road.

His attention only being grabbed when he heard talking in the yard over, his head snapping in the direction and watched as a couple seemed to be talking to the realtor for the house beside his that was for sale. He had seen plenty of people come and go over the past few months, though none had moved in yet.

The woman with fiery red hair shook the realtors hand before the realtor passed onto the man, who Ray could only assume the giant of a man as her husband, and they too shook hands before climbing into their separate cars and drove off without so much as look his way. Not that it bothered him any, he really didn't want to have to introduce himself to the possibility of new neighbors today. He just didn't have the energy to do so at the moment.

With another, deep, drag on his cigarette his phone went off with a text message. Quickly stuffing his hand in his pocket he pulled it out, balancing the stick between his lips as he shuffled through the messages that were popping in left and right on his screen. Trying to catch what kind of conversation the others were having at present, until finally he scrolled up high enough during a momentary break and saw the flyer Max had started the entire chain reaction with.

The county fair, he hadn't been in almost three years, and it was fixing to come into town next month. Of course Tyson was already ready to go, Max saying he'd get them all in but they'd need to get their tickets for the rides and food. Hilary said she didn't feel like going, prompting several texts just between her and Tyson about why she didn't want to go until it looked as though they went to just messaging each other more privately. Lee said he would go and that he'd be able to drive them all, along with Mariah trying to pull him into the conversation since he hadn't responded yet.

Did he even want to go, _could_ he even go? They were shooting for opening night; which was on a Saturday and a day before New Years. More than likely he'd be working, wouldn't be able to go even if he wanted to. Then again, after what happened earlier he felt a little spiteful as he sometimes did. In the long run it was never a good idea to go against the grain, then again he was often foolish enough at times to fight back; if given the chance.

Though nothing ever changed, nothing ever made it better or made it stop. It just made the next one worse, longer, to the point he couldn't move or do much else the following days after.

He fingers finally moved across the screen of his phone, his cigarette burning out between his lips, as he let the others know he'd be there with them. All he had to do was hold out for another week, and he wasn't even sure if he could do that.

The truck issue still hadn't settled well with him, that was _his_ truck and yet at every turn Stan had it. Either being forced to ride the bus or take up a ride with Lee and the others until it just became routine again before he had gotten the chance to drive himself those few times. Of course, the time he did get to have his truck the tank was already close to the empty. There was a minor scratch on the tail gate after Stan brought it home one night after going out for drinks with his buddies. The inside was constantly trashed, and there was already a stain on the back seats that Ray would rather not know what it was or where it came from.

The week had finally passed, since he let the others know he'd be going to the fair with them in favor of skipping out on a shift at work. Though to keep Janette from being one member short he had run it by her, getting Rachel to take over his shift for him. The only person that didn't know, didn't _need_ to know, was Stan.

For being on Christmas break it certainly wasn't one, not even in the slightest, as almost every day since it started he was doing doubles at the diner to take over the shifts his uncle should have been doing. Instead of taking senseless joy rides out around in his truck, getting more nicks and dents along the body every time he brought it back.

Despite the burning anger in the pit of Ray's gut, there wasn't anything he could do about it. He could scream at him, throw fists if he wanted, though knew it wouldn't get him anywhere. So, like most things he did, he grinned and bared it to the best of his abilities.

Luck would have it, the night he would be joining the others at the fair, Stan had disappeared off for a New Years party somewhere on the other side of town. For one night Ray felt like he could finally breathe a bit easier through being stuck at the house all vacation break, actually having the time to feel like a sixteen year old should feel like, that he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for Lee to pull up in front of his house.

The others were already situated inside the large eight seater SUV, Tyson at the very back with Max and Mariah sat in the middle row. There was an unknown female in the passenger seat beside Lee, like there often was at times since he bounced from one girl to the next.  
It was still early out, when they rolled up to the parking lot across from the fair grounds. Though the wind and air was cold enough for a heavy jacket and jeans, the smell of livestock being carried with each gust even across the street as the noises from the games, music, and people screaming filled the extra space.

As promised Max had paid their way inside the gates, leaving them to fare for themselves for their tickets or wristbands for the night. Already they could see a few others they knew from school either by name or just by looks, walking around and enjoying their time out as well.

Losing himself, Ray grabbed Mariah's hand up the second they had their armbands around their wrists, hauling her off and leading the group to the first ride he laid eyes on. He didn't care what it was, what it did, or if it would eventually make him puke but he needed this night desperately.

The others just followed quickly behind him, filing in the long line that had formed around the metal barricades that divided them and the ride as it was in its last turns and spins. As the riders were let off, the line moving forward, someone stumbled to the nearest trash can and hurled.

"Oh, that's gross." Lee chuckled as his nose and the others in line all curled.

"The poor guy." Max sympathized, feeling his own stomach getting queasy on him.

"As long as someone doesn't puke on _me_ , I'll be good." Tyson chuckled slightly as the other person at the trash can finally stumbled away from it and joined the group he had been with.

Mariah squeezed Ray's hand, grabbing his attention from the ride as it had started back up and sending the new riders through the torment of going up and around while the carriages spun on their own with the momentum of the ride.

"I think I'm gonna go sit this one out…" She whispered out to him, her face looking paler than usual.

"You sure?" Ray questioned, though he wasn't fixing to get out of line and sit out with her.

"Yeah, maybe the next one I'll ride." She said as she slipped her hand out from his hold, "I'll be over here waiting for you guys though." She said as she stepped out of line and found a metal bench to sit on where she could still see them, and the ride.

"She's never been good with these sort of things." Lee explained, though he really didn't need to since Ray already knew that. It was the Wongs he had been with when he got to experience his first county fair, Mariah sat out for almost all the rides and that was when they had just been children and were reduced to riding the kiddie rides.

After another five minutes the ride ended, the line moving forward and finally their group was able to get on. Though as Ray stepped up he was put aside, being told he needed a partner to ride with, though nobody at the front of the line was a solo rider. Till finally one boy stepped up through the crowd, it practically parting for him as he had heard the operators call for a solo rider.

The bottom of Ray's stomach fizzed as the stranger approached, there was something in the way he walked that sent off strong 'fuck off' signals, and the crimson eyes sent a shiver running down his spine the second they had met and held the entire time the other male stepped up onto the platform for the ride with him.

"Alright, you'll do." The operator concluded, pushing the two of them to the metal cage that they were promptly locked inside of. The second the operator let go of it, the cage lurched back and forward until the clicks and gears began to move the entire ride backwards and into the air.

There were two small windows, made of wire along with the front of the cage that also became a lap bar over their legs. Giving them a view in front of them and beside them, if they looked past the others head.

Ray felt something close to a cold sweat form on his back, the other males knee touching his though there was no room to move his own away from him. Already his hair was being sat on, the lurching forward and back filling his stomach with butterflies as the cage finally made an actual complete roll over as the ride picked up speed. Biting into his lip to stop the scream from the sudden push and roll, fighting back any noise he could as the cage continued on and on. The ground rushing up past them until they got a view of the sky or the cage that was in front of them.

The male beside him sat with a face like stone, looking indifferent to the ride itself and as if he would rather be elsewhere at the moment. Every now and then Ray could feel him tense up beside him though didn't move or utter a sound through the whole thing, finally the last bits of the ride coming to a stop and they were left up in the air as their cage gently rocked back and forth.

"You don't look like you enjoyed that at all." Ray spoke as he turned to face the male he didn't recognize, clearly he didn't go to his school though they looked to be the same age.

"Not really my thing."

"Then why'd you get on?" Ray asked, unable to fight the bubble of giggles in his stomach any longer.

"My brother shoved me through the line." The other said with a slight bite to his icy-tone, keeping his eyes forward at the wired screen in front of them.

"Ah, well thank him for me. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to ride."

The other made some type of noise through his throat, Ray figuring that was his cue to just close his mouth and wait in the awkwardness until they were finally let off.

Ray barely spared his riding buddy a second look as he went off to find the others, no doubt the other doing the same as he returned to his brother, finding the others crowded around Tyson as he was hunched over in the same trash can as the other guy had been and hurling into.

"I told you, you shouldn't have eaten anything before we left." Max said in a slight huff, rubbing Tyson's back for him as his body clenched with another hurl.

"Well this night seems to be going great so far." Lee joked sarcastically, though none of the others found it funny.

"Hey, I'm alright guys." Tyson said as he sprung back up, Lee's date handing him a piece of gum from her purse and a napkin to wipe his chin with. "Let's find another one, the nights still young."

"Nothing ever gets you down." Ray shook his head, this time following Tyson and Max through the crowds.

Mariah bouncing up from her bench, where Johnny had come and sat with her for the time the others were on the ride, and grabbed up Ray's hand again. Leaning her head against his shoulder, he actually gripping her hand a bit tighter as he rested his head over hers.

This was honestly the most they had really touched, much less shown any form of PDA in such a large crowd. Though with eyes focused on the rides and other things, it wasn't like he felt he had to do it. It was like he had finally wanted to be close to her, actually enjoy their time out together like an actual couple.

Five, lesser extreme, rides later and the night had finally settled down over them. The lights on the rides and booths lighting the fair grounds up in different colors that flashed and danced along to the rhythm of songs or in sporadic succession.

Taking a break the group went off to hunt for some actual food, resting their feet before wandering through the exhibitions that were still out on display in the main building. Max and Tyson stopping at a few game booths, wasting away their money on the off chance of getting a pet gold fish while Lee was trying hard to win a stuffed animal for his date of the night.

"Can we play this one?" Mariah asked as she tugged Ray to a water game, opposite of where the other four were behind them now.

Ray eyed it a little, it looked easy enough. You point and shot at the tiny target with a stream of water, and rose the platform with a stuffed animal to the top.

"Sure." He shrugged, forking over a ten for the two of them and took up their seats on the small stools provided along the rim of the game booth.

Others followed suit, taking up the other four stools on either side of them and the game horn blared. Each participant hitting the target almost dead on, their platforms rising and rising higher until finally the winner hit first though it was neither Ray or Mariah who had won.

"That's my boy!" Came an excited squeal at the corner of the game booth, a tall red-head taking the stuffed animal from the winner with gray hair as it had been handed down to him from the game operator.

Ray smiled a little at the small kiss the two men shared, before his eyes fell on the crimson eyed teen he had rode with earlier that day; standing just off to the side of the other two. Still dripping with the strong 'fuck off' vibes radiating off of him, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for the other two to stop smooching and squishing the stuffed animal between their chests.

"You'd think they'd be able to do that elsewhere." Mariah said in a low whisper behind Ray, making his skin crawl though kept his remark to himself.

"C'mon, lets the find the others." He said as he got up, letting Mariah follow him to where they had left the others.

Soon enough, with no prizes between any of them, they were back towards the rides. Their next target was a large pendulum, with four sides where the seats all faced the middle with four seats in each row. The line wasn't as long as some of the others, the group of six getting on quickly through the line though as they passed through the gate Ray was once more cut off from the rest of them. The ride being full and having to sit it out in line to wait for the others to finish with their turn before he got on for his.

The others, sitting where they could see him, all waved just before the ride started and then they were off. Twisting in a circle as the arm swung them out over and back across the crowds walking by, and those standing in line. The lights blinking and dancing like crazy, the music so loud from the speakers it about drowned out the screams coming off the ride.

Finally, five minutes later and the ride came to a stop. The others stumbling and laughing against each other as they made their exit, all waiting along the barricade for Ray to go on and get off so they all could join back up together.

Settling himself in the first row of seats, he made himself comfortable, his feet hanging below him once he was sat and pulled the shoulder restraints down till they clicked. The back of his seat happened to be facing the others, so they couldn't see him and he couldn't see them until the ride started to move. Taking the time he looked at the others coming to ride on with him; Rick, Steve, and Michael taking the row next to his where the four of them exchanged a small nod between each other.

He looked beside him, trying to get a look at the people who filled his row and felt his stomach fizz again as a pale, angular jaw, and wisps of slate colored bangs met his vision.

He cleared his throat a little, swinging his feet while gripping the metal handles of his shoulder restraints. "Hi again."

The other boy turned past his shoulder restraints to look at him, the 'fuck off' vibes getting stronger until they seemed to lower around him.

"Hey."

"Brother push you back on?" Ray asked, though couldn't see past the other's head to see the rest of his row.

"Yeah." The other nodded a little, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there at that moment.

Ray snickered a little at the look on the other teens face and the sour tone he held. "You scared?"

"No." Came the quick, almost harsh, reply as the crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"Just asking, you look like you're scared."

"Well I'm not."

Ray just nodded back, the ride starting up along with the blare of the music again as it began to move them around. His grip on the metal handlebars getting tighter as they were propelled through the air, spinning around so fast he could only catch a small glimpse of the others as he passed over head. Once more fighting down the bubble of laughter in his stomach, just glad it wasn't his greasy fried food that had the potential to rise up and come out of him instead.

The entire time, much like the first ride he and the other boy had been on together, he could feel him flinch and tense with every other spin and turn as they whirled and whizzed past over head of the crowds. Their elbows touching, as both were gripping the metal handle bars on their shoulder restraints, leaving barely any room between them.

Finally the torment was over, the ride coming and spinning it's last before it stopped with a powerful halt. Knocking their hands off the bars as they had slowly been releasing their grip, their arms hitting the others and both hands landing on the other's thigh.

Ray seemed to be the first one to notice, jerking his hand off of the other boys thigh as his face burned. "I'm so sorry."

The other boy seemed to blink a few times before he realized what had happened, wondering how that could even have happened and jerked his hand off Ray's thigh as if he electrocuted him. Though didn't say a word about it, their shoulder restrains finally lifting off of them.

Ray bounced right up, almost stiff as a board as he refused to look back at him while his stomach continued to fizz and bubble as he made his way off the platform and to the others. Feeling eyes on the back of his head, the blush and heat on his face spreading.

"You okay there man, you look ready to blow." Tyson asked as he approached them.

Ray nodded, just as stiffly as the rest of him. Before he could answer his phone started to ring, quickly pulling it out of his back pocket as a chill ran down his spine at his uncles ringtone.

"Just a second guys." He spewed out quickly as he ran off to find a more quiet place to answer the call.

All he had to do was answer, the music and screams coming around him would be enough to give away where he was, putting the phone up to his ear as he waited without saying a word.

"The fuck are you?!" Stan's angry, slurred, voice spewed out. "You're supposed to be at work right now, and it doesn't sound like you're there!"

"I'm not at work, I had Rachel cover my shift." Ray answered in a neutral tone, though his heart was slamming against his rib cage something fierce.

"I already know Rachel covered your shift, why do you think I called you?! You're just completely useless, you know that? You have a job to do, have responsibilities. Instead you're off fucking around, wasting money away on pointless shit!"

"Well it's my money, I can do what I want with it." Ray said as he rolled his eyes, "I'm just out with my friends, Rachel said it was fine. What's the problem with me enjoying one night out with my friends before school starts again?"

"I don't care if Rachel said it was fine, you're no better than your whore of a mother. You best not be out there spending all your money when you have rent due coming up." Stan fired back.

Ray pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep himself calm though felt he was fixing to blow. "I know I have rent coming up, _Stan_ , and I've never been late before now have I?!" Ray yelled back into the phone, his entire body shaking on him as the rational part of his brain was telling him to stop yet couldn't get his mouth to close.

Cutting in before Stan could get a word in yet, "No, I fucking haven't so don't even try to say that I have! You'll have you stupid fucking rent, just so _you_ can go and piss it away on beer and your own cheap ass whores." After that he felt out of breath, his shaking getting harder as adrenaline pumped through his veins at an alarming rate.

"What'd you say to me?!" Stan roared through the phone, "I'll be picking you up in twenty." With that he hung up, and with the dull tone left to infiltrate Ray's ears his heart plummeted into his toes.

He wiped the few stray tears that pricked the corners of his eyes, shoving his phone back into his pocket before he approached the others that had been waiting for him, painting on a neutral face.

"Hey, sorry but I gotta head home. My uncle's comin to pick me up."

"Aw man, that sucks." Tyson pouted.

"This was fun though, maybe we can do something else before break ends." Max suggest.

"I'll have to see." Ray shrugged, though he doubted he'd be able to make plans with them at all.

Not wanting to anger Stan more he quickly wrapped up the goodbyes, pecking Mariah on the cheek before finding the nearest exit gate to wait on the side of the road for him.

It took longer than the twenty minutes Stan had threatened him with, leaving him shaking slightly in the cold winds from the cars driving by and the draft created by the rides behind him as his nerves were breaking piece by piece. He was in desperate need of a new jacket, the one he was currently wearing was old and thinned out over the past three years of having the same one. Though, with most things, he didn't buy anything new because he feared Stan would just take it.

Kicking at the dirt and dead grass under his feet he pulled his arms around himself tighter, doing his best to keep an eye out for his truck coming down the road as some people were crossing the street to leave themselves or come onto the fair grounds.

"You okay?" At the slightly familiar voice beside him, Ray about jumped out of his skin. Quickly clocking his riding buddy from the last and first ride of the night standing there beside him.

"Yeah, just cold." Ray answered, shifting himself slightly away from the other boy as he looked down the road again. "You leaving already?"

The other boy just nodded back, the 'fuck off' vibes not as strong as they originally had been since their first random encounter.

"My brother's getting the car at the moment, though knowing him he probably forgot where he parked it."

"Didn't want to help him look?" Ray snickered a little, finding the other teen as closed off as a bank safe, though found that just as funny. It was like the other thought he'd bite him or something.

The other arched a slate brow at him, his face almost unreadable to what he was thinking before his own arms went around his chest. "Not really."

"Some brother you are." Ray muttered with an eye roll, spotting his truck in the line of cars that had stopped to let more people cross the road. "It was nice… Meeting you…?" He wasn't even sure if it had been nice at all, but he didn't want to be rude.

The other nodded back, though didn't look like he'd say 'likewise' or anything for that matter. Ray just sending a small wave to him before he jogged down the sidewalk to where his truck was, throwing open the passenger door and quickly slipping in. Though there was no heat running, the cabin of the truck almost feeling like a freezer compared to being outside.

His hand reached to turn on the heat, though when he turned the dial it spit and sputtered at him without turning on.

"What happened?" He asked, ignoring the tension he could feel in the cold air between them.

"Don't know, this piece of junk keeps breaking on me." Stan grumbled angrily.

"It was working the other day." Ray let out in a sigh, just one more thing he had to fix and pay for. Another hole in his New Life funds going right down the drain, again. Having a feeling in the pit of his stomach his uncle had something to do with it going out.

"Well maybe if you didn't buy such cheap shit." Stan hissed.

"Cheap?! I'm paying almost five hundred a month for this." Ray exclaimed, though knew it was pointless to argue with him. He could smell the beer radiating off his uncle like he bathed in it, on top of a strong smell of just bad BO.

Stan grunted in response, taking them down the road and away from the fair grounds before turning down the main roads to take them home. A silence falling over the truck, the tension returning thicker than before the entire way until they pulled into the drive of Stan's home.

The moment they were both inside the house, the front door shut, there came a quick hit to the back of Ray's head before he could get far enough away from him. Stumbling over his own feet, the pain surging along the back of his skull.

What happened after that, he wasn't sure. Bits and pieces only coming to him when he tried to think about it a week later, having been left to miss the rest of the break laid up in bed. A wound on his lower back, right above where his pants would sit, not healing the way it needed to and the entire night of the fair was just one big blur in of itself now.

No doubt, knowing his uncle, he had smashed his head against something hard. Though to him that was the better alternative to being coherent through the lashings that followed. Yet the reminder, the proof, was there etched into his skin.

The months that followed he did his best to avoid any issues, at home or at school. The wound on his lower back becoming infected to the point he had missed the first half of the track season, just before school ended for summer break. Only until he became almost deathly ill did Stan take him in to get it looked at, though of course it was to someone he could trust. Getting a bottle of antibiotics slapped into his hand, and that was it.

Nothing was getting better, no matter which way he looked. Another year had finally come to a close yet he felt like he had taken five major steps back from his end goal; getting the hell out.

When summer break rolled around he was swamped with work, hardly seeing the others during that time, too busy with keeping himself alive and uninjured to the best of his abilities. Preparing himself for his third year of high school that was fast approaching, counting down the days like he always did.

Just one more year, that's all he had to get through and then he'd finally be free from one of the things that kept suffocating him.

Of course with being holed up at work for most of his free time meant he and Mariah's relationship wasn't working out the way she probably had hoped it would. It was very rare he even had his truck to even take himself anywhere, let alone taking her out on dates. They had the odd occasional one when he could, if his body could hold out and stay awake long enough to endure one.

He had finally caved and they shared their first kiss back sometime in July, though he felt nothing from it. Not that he thought he would to start with, yet it didn't make him feel any better about the entire arrangement he had put himself in.

When school started back up, thrusting him and the others into their third year of high school, he painted on that mask that fooled the others day in and day out. He and Mariah were now considered the 'golden couple' of the school, everyone practically eating up the childhood sweethearts trope like they lived off it. As if his private life had to be a spectacle and once more those eyes were on him and he hated it, with every fiber of his being.

Slowly, as the beginning of the school year seemed to drag on almost endlessly, October was finally inching ever closer. Just another year, that's all he had to get through and he'd be done. With her, with Stan, with the eyes that always followed. He just needed to hang on a little longer, grip on tighter to whatever he could to not lose himself in his own head and push through so he could finally be free.

The last Thursday in September, on the 27th, after another long day of school and then work after he pulled up into the drive of his home. The house next door, that had been more than likely given up on, had a moving truck parked out on the side of the street. The sign that had been stuck in the front yard finally removed after months of sitting there, as the new occupants were carrying in boxes and furniture from the moving truck into the home.

Cutting the engine of his truck he slowly stepped out, the other people too busy to really notice him standing there and watching as the woman he remembered seeing with the realtor several months ago rushing out of the house and back to the moving truck for another armful of boxes. Getting them passed off by the giant of a man at the end of the truck where he stood, sending her off and grabbing more boxes for the three boys coming out of the house together.

Though only one really stuck out to Ray, yet he didn't know why the one looked familiar at all. His stomach fizzing, which felt just as familiar as the one looked. He would have remembered seeing two-toned hair like that, but he couldn't recall if he ever had before. Still, the other teen at least looked familiar at best. Even if he didn't know why.

Leaving them to it, more than likely not having been noticed in the first place, he carried his tired and sore body into his home to get some sleep. A terrible cloud falling over his head as it sometimes did on days like these, where nothing seemed to be going right and just completely wrong no matter what he did.

Mariah was suddenly pushing the topic of sex after she turned seventeen back at the start of September, Tyson and Hilary broke up again. Max was acting strange around not only him, but Tyson as well since school started. It was barely two months in of their third year and he honestly couldn't wait for it to just end, the sooner the better in his opinion.

At least Stan was gone for the weekend, and that was something he was more than happy about. Meant he could breathe easier, sleep in, and not break his back doing house chores until his knuckles bled.

Come Monday, after having the house to himself and wasting the days away sleeping in and being as lazy as he possibly could; which meant the house hadn't been cleaned to Stan's standards. His head was even in more of a fog through the entire day, come second period he ran into the glass doors of the library head on. Knocking himself out for the rest of the day, only to come home to another lashing for being a 'pathetic piece of shit that was too lazy to do a damn thing'.

Tuesday he was left to lay in bed, hoping and praying that the wounds would heal this time. By some miracle his prayers had been answered, and Wednesday he got the temporary relief of having to be stuck at home with Stan all day, though had another long shift at work after school.

Once more, for third period, Ray was back in the library. Busy doing his work in scanning in the returned books in order to put them away, not many people came in during third period unless it was a class that needed to check out a work book as a unit. To say he was slightly surprised when the glass doors, he had knocked himself against on Monday, opened and another student stepped into the library would have been an understatement.

He had heard there was a new kid in school, though this was the first time he had actually seen him and it didn't take long to realize that he was the same one that had just moved in next door to him.

He greeted him with a smile, while the new kid just stared back like a deer in the headlights. Soon enough he had him signed in, the new kid walking off to the back of the library as he finished getting his books scanned and got up to put them away.

Meeting him again somewhere in the middle of the library, putting away the stack of books in his arms just behind the new kid. Not even realizing he knew he was behind him to start with.

"You work here?"

"It's an elective." Ray said, slipping a book onto the shelf beside him. "It's actually pretty fun, plus I like the quiet." He shrugged his shoulders, not missing the new kid staring at him again and felt that he had seen him before. Yet couldn't place when or where it might have been.

"I'm Ray."

"Kai."


End file.
